BEMIDJI, Minn. – University of Minnesota Duluth scored with 1:55 left to play to force a 1-1 tie with the No. 20 Bemidji State University Men's Hockey Team Friday night at Sanford Center in game one of their non-conference series. The Beavers now move to 9-5-5 while the Bulldogs earn their first tie of the season and are 9-10-1.
 
Fifth-year senior transfer Kaden Pickering scored the lone goal for the Beavers 3:40 into the third period after both teams were locked in a scoreless tie through the games' first two periods. Pickering redirected an Elias Rosén pass that snuck its way past UMD goaltender Zach Stejskal for the St. Lawrence College transfer's second goal of the season and Rosén's team-leading 13^th assist of the season.
 
Bemidji State held the one-goal lead for most of the third period but with 2:26 left to play Minnesota Duluth pulled its netminder in favor of the extra attacker and UMD's Wyatt Kaiser fired a puck from the point that found its way through traffic, past BSU goaltender Mattias Sholl and into the back of the net with just 1:55 to play.
 
The two teams would need the three-on-three overtime to find a victory but neither team could best the others goaltender and the game ended as a tie. The two teams would go into a shootout to give the fans in attendance some extra hockey and UMD scored the lone goal in the shootout to win 1-0.
 
Bemidji State finished the game with 22 shots on goal while Sholl backstopped the Beavers and turned aside 33-of-34 shots for his third consecutive 30+ save performance and one shy of a season high.
 
Sholl now moves to 7-3-5 on the season.
 
One of the nation's least penalized teams, the Beavers stayed out of the penalty box for the entire 65 minutes while they earned four power plays during the game. However, the power play was lacking for the Beavers as they came up empty on all four chances.
 
Both teams will now make the trip to Duluth, Minn., to play game two at AMSOIL Arena Saturday night. Puck drop for game two is slated for 6:07 p.m.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State men's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter or Instagram (@BSUBeaversMHKY), or like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers).
 
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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