MANKATO, Minn. – Mankato, Minn., native Kyle Looft played overtime hero for the Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team and earned the Beavers the extra point in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings Friday night in Mankato. Looft scored the overtime, game-winning goal with 28.5 seconds remaining to upset No. 16 Minnesota State University, Mankato and earn the Beavers (8-5-4, 6-2-3 CCHA) two points in league standings.
 
The win in Mankato was the Beavers first win in the Mayo Clinic HSEC since Jan. 25, 2020. The Beavers now have 22 league points and trail the conference leading Mavericks (10-8-1, 7-5-1 CCHA) by two points in the standings with two games in hand.
 
Bemidji State got off to a quick start in the game when sophomore Alexander Lundman scored his team leading seventh goal of the season just 5:44 into the opening period.
 
BSU seemed as if it was going to head into the first intermission with the lead but with just 2:52 left in the period, Minnesota State's David Silye scored his conference leading 13^th goal of the season to even the score heading into the first break.
 
The Beavers responded with another quick start to the period and just 2:04 into the middle frame, sophomore Jakub Lewandoski showed great patience and beat Mavericks' goaltender Alex Tracy for his third goal of the season.
 
Bemidji State would hold the Mavericks to the lone goal through the first two periods and head into the final 20 minutes with the 2-1 lead. However, Minnesota State would take advantage two Beaver penalties in the first three minutes of the final frame and Christian Fitzgerald and Ryan Sandelin would each score power-play goals a minute apart 1:56 and 2:56 into the third period to shock the Beavers and take the lead at 3-2.
 
The Beavers would persevere however, and 4:26 later, and junior Aaron Myers would poke home a rebounded Carter Jones shot to tie the game once again.
 
The game would need overtime to decide a winner and it would be Mankato native Looft who would win it for the Beavers after one-timing an Eric Martin pass while on a power play that found its way past Tracy for his second game-winning goal of the season and just the second of his career.
 
Sophomore goaltender Mattias Sholl kept the Beavers in the game and turned aside 34 of the Mavericks 37 shots during the night for his highest save total of the 2022-23. He improves to 6-3-4 on the season.
 
The Beavers finished the game 1-for-3 while on the power play while their penalty kill allowed two power-play goals in the Mavericks' two chances of the game.
 
Bemidji State will attempt for its first CCHA series sweep of the season tomorrow night when the two teams meet again at 7:07 p.m. in Mankato.
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
 
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