BEMIDJI, Minn. – For the second time this season and against the same team, Bemidji State University Men's Hockey senior defenseman
Kyle Looft scored the game-winning, overtime goal to give the Beavers a 2-1 victory over No. 12/13 Minnesota State University, Mankato Saturday night at Sanford Center.
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The overtime win gave the Beavers (13-14-5, 11-10-3) two crucial points in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings and they now hold fourth place in the standings by three points over Northern Michigan University and Ferris State University with just two games remaining.
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Bemidji State got the start it wanted looking to bounce back from Friday night's 4-1 loss and scored the game's first goal for the second consecutive night when
Adam Flammang forced a Maverick defensive zone turnover and fired the puck over the left should of MSU goaltender Keenan Rancier 11:16 after the opening face-off.
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The goal was Flammang's fifth of the season and the second time this season he scored the game's first goal.
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Bemidji State held the Mavericks off of the scoreboard for most of the first period but late in the period, the Beavers had to kill off back-to-back penalties and the Mavericks capitalized on the second opportunity when Steven Bellini scored his first of the season with just 2:09 left in the frame.
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The two teams were locked in a defensive battle from then on with neither team giving their opponent much space for the go-ahead goal as the next 46:54 was scoreless hockey and would head into the three-on-three overtime to declare a winner.
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Each team had a flurry of chances in the extra frame but Bemidji State gained an advantage when a Maverick player was sent to the penalty box for a holding minor. Just as it was in Mankato, Minn., on Dec. 16, Looft fired a bomb from the right point that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net with just 15 seconds left on the clock to earn the Beavers their first victory over MSU on home ice since Feb. 27, 2021 (4-3 OT).
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The goal was his fourth of the season which sets a new career-high for the senior from Mankato, Minn.
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Bemidji State used that power play in the overtime period and out-shot the Mavericks 6-2 in the frame and finished the game with a 26-18 advantage. The Beavers out-shot the Mavericks 14-5 in the third and overtime periods.
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Bemidji State finished the game 1-for-2 while on the power play while the Mavericks lone goal of the game was also scored on the power play to also finish 1-for-2.
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Sophomore goaltender
Mattias Sholl turned aside 17-of-18 shots by the Mavericks including a penalty shot early in the second period to claim his 11
th victory of the season, two shy of tying a career mark. He improved his season record to 11-10-5.
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Bemidji State now holds its playoff seeding fate in its own hands next weekend for the final CCHA series of the regular season. Four points at University of St. Thomas will clinch the fourth seed and home-ice advantage in the first round for the Beavers. Bemidji State will make its way down to Mendota Heights, Minn., this weekend for its two-game slate with St. Thomas beginning Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:07 p.m.
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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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