DULUTH, Minn. – The No. 20 Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team got off to a quick start against University of Minnesota Duluth Saturday night by scoring on the game's first shot but the Bulldogs were unfazed and scored the next three goals enroute to a 5-2 victory to close out their non-conference series at AMSOIL Arena.
 
Sophomore Jere Vaisanen scored on the game's first goal just 1:15 after the opening puck drop for his fifth goal of the season.
The lead wouldn't make it to the end of the period however, and with 8:58 remaining in the frame Minnesota Duluth's Darian Gotz tied the game and just 44 seconds later Kyle Bettens gave UMD the 2-1 lead.
 
Minnesota Duluth would head into the first intermission with the one-goal lead and in the second period it extended its lead to 4-1 with two power-play goals from Jesse Jacques and Kyle Mylymok at 8:07 and 17:57, respectively. The Beavers would stop the Bulldogs's scoring run just before the horn sounded for the second intermission when Carter Jones scored his second goal of the season with just 15 seconds left in the frame.
 
The goal would prove to be the last for BSU as UMD held the Beavers' offense in check for the final 20 minutes of the game and held BSU to just four shots in the period. Minnesota Duluth would add an empty-net goal with 2:16 to play off the stick of Luke Loheit to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
 
The Beavers finished the game with 24 shots on goal and were powered by the line of Vaisanen, Jones and Lleyton Roed as the trio contributed on both goals for BSU.
 
Minnesota Duluth out-shot the Beavers 29-24 in the game converted on both of its power-play chances in the game while the Beavers came up empty on their lone chance.
 
Junior goaltender Gavin Enright falls to 2-3-0 on the season after making 24 saves while UMD's Zach Stejskal made 22 saves for the Bulldogs.
 
The Beavers will now return to Central Collegiate Conference play in next weekend's action and will travel to Bowling Green State University for their first meeting with the Falcons this season. Both games of their Friday-Saturday series are scheduled for 6:07 p.m., puck drop.
 
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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