BEMIDJI, Minn. – Saturday night saw a wild finish for the Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team as it came back from a two-goal deficit with 6:56 remaining to force overtime against No. 14 University of Minnesota Duluth. However, the Bulldogs scored 27 seconds into the three-on-three period to earn a 5-4 victory over the Beavers in their series finale at Sanford Center.
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The loss concludes non-conference action to start the season for the Beavers who fall to 1-3-0 through the first four games while the Bulldogs keep their unblemished record intact and improve to 3-0-2.
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After failing to score a power-play goal the night before, the Beavers made tactical changes that paid off on the Beavers' first extra attacker advantage just 4:58 into the game when fifth-year senior
Kyle Looft blasted a shot that found its way through a screened goaltender and into the back of the net.
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Late in the opening period, the Beavers' struck again while on the power play with Looft scoring once again from practically the same spot to extend BSU's lead to two with just 32 seconds before the first intermission.
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The second period would tip in the direction of the Bulldogs however, and with 6:57 left in the middle frame, Minnesota Duluth got on the scoreboard for the first time with a goal from Riley Bodnarchuk. The Bulldogs would get their second just 1:38 later when Ben Steeves scored a power-play goal to tie the game at 2-2.
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The teams would head into the second intermission locked in the tie but 7:31 into the third period, UMD took its first lead of the game off the stick of Kyle Bettens. The Bulldogs then made it 4-2 2:06 later when Quinn Olson scored on a penalty shot.
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The Beavers didn't quit and with 6:56 to play, sophomore
Lleyton Roed converted on a tic-tac-toe passing play for his team-leading third goal of the season to pull the Beavers' within one.
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With under three minutes remaining Bemidji State head coach
Tom Serratore pulled his goaltender in favor of the extra attacker and the strategy paid off as sophomore
Adam Flammang tied the game after turning and firing the puck that fooled goaltender Zach Stejskal with just 2:06 to play.
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The game would need overtime to decide a victory but unfortunately for the Beavers, Minnesota Duluth's Cole Spice forced a turnover at the blueline and took it all the way to score the game-winning goal just 27 seconds into the three-on-three overtime for the Beavers' second overtime loss this season.
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Looft paced the Beavers with two goals and an assist for his first two-goal game and three-point effort of his collegiate career while Roed (1g-1a), Flammang (1g-1a) and sophomore
Patrik Satosaari (2a) each followed with two points.
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Senior netminder
Gavin Enright kept the Beavers within striking distance and turned aside 33-of-35 shots but earns his first loss of the season to fall to 1-1-0.
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UMD out-shot the Beavers 38-30 in the game while the Beavers went 2-for-5 on the man advantage and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
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League points will be on the line for the Beavers next weekend as they welcome University of St. Thomas to Sanford Center for the first Central Collegiate Hockey Association series of the year. On Saturday, the Beavers will attempt to bring awareness to organ donation and will host an Organ Donation Awareness game as two members of the Beavers men's and women's hockey teams have been affected by organ donation.
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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).
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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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