BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University men's hockey team had its season come to a harsh end Saturday night (March 19) in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Championship game after falling to No. 1 Minnesota State University, Mankato 2-1 in overtime at May Clinic HSEC in Mankato, Minn.

The Mavericks thought they scored the game-winning overtime goal three minutes into the overtime period but while they were celebrating winning the Mason Cup, a review process began that questioned the game-winning goal. Over an hour after the goal had been scored, it was deemed that the puck entered the net from beneath the frame of the goal and was overturned. Both teams returned to the ice to resume play but two minutes later, Jack McNeely scored the true game-winning goal for the Mavericks.

The Beavers' 2021-22 season came to an end after failing to earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA National Tournament. The Beavers finish the season with a 19-20-0 record. 

The game was a true battle between two of the league's top teams and after a scoreless first period, Bemidji State jumped ahead of the nation's top-ranked team when senior Alex Adams redirected a Tyler Kirkup shot and into the back of the net 9:17 into the second period.

Minnesota State would earn a power play late in the period and capitalized with the extra skater after Brendan Furry rifled the puck past Mattias Sholl with just 2:44 left in the period.

The Mavericks would begin the third period with another power play but a successful kill by BSU's penalty kill kept the score tied. Bemidji State's penalty would be tested again in the period but once again prevailed and help send the game into overtime where the Mavericks scored the game-winning goal, twice. 

The Beavers finished the game 2-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-1 on the power play while MSU out-shot the Beavers 32-22. 

Freshman Mattias Sholl continued his excellent play and stopped 30-of-32 shots and finishes his freshman campaign with a 13-13-0 record. His counterpart, Dryden McKay stopped 21-of-22 shots and improved to 35-4-0 to become the only goaltender with 35 wins a season.

Minnesota State will continue its season at the national tournament next weekend while the Beavers' comes to a bitter end.

Nestled in Northern Minnesota's wooden region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, BSU 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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