BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team opens Central Collegiate Hockey Association play this weekend and hosts (RV) Augustana University for a pair of league games at Sanford Center.
 
The Beavers (2-4-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) are looking to snap a four-game losing streak and open conference play on a high note against the (RV) Vikings (3-1-0, 0-0-0 CCHA). Bemidji State hosts the two-game series beginning Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:07 p.m., from Sanford Center in Bemidji. The teams then close out their series Saturday at 6:07 p.m.
 
Each game will be streamed exclusively online at MidCo Sports Plus with the Beaver Radio Network providing play-by-play. Beaver Hockey fans can also tune-in to a Beaver Radio Network broadcast for both games on the radio dial at 92.1 FM or online at www.beaverradionetwork.
 
Bemidji State Notes

• The Beavers aim to right the ship against the Vikings having lost their last four games since opening the season with a sweep at University of Alaska Anchorage.
• Bemidji State was swept by non-conference opponent (RV) University of Minnesota Duluth last weekend in a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs.
• The teams opened the series at Sanford Center Friday night with Minnesota Duluth claiming a 7-3 victory despite the Beavers scoring the game's first two goals within the first five minutes of the game.
• The Bulldogs responded by scoring the next six goals en route to their 7-3 series opening victory.
• Game two took place at AMSIL Arena in Duluth where the Bulldogs took advantage of Beaver mistakes and penalties scoring four power-play goals on seven chances to earn a 5-1 victory and series sweep.
• Vincent Labelle and Kasper Magnussen led the Beavers with two points in the series after each scored a goal and added an assist.
• Labelle, Magnussen, Noah Quinn and Hudson Thornton all scored in the series marking their first goals of the 2025-26 season while Labelle and Thornton each scored their first collegiate goals.
• Labelle and Magnussen each recorded a point in both games of the series leading the team with a two-game active point scoring streak.
• Junior Oliver Peer has recorded a point in five-of-six games in his first NCAA college hockey season after transferring from the University of New Brunswick (USports).
• Peer leads the team with seven points (3g-4a) and has two multiple point efforts in six games.
• The Burlington, Ont., native is second in the CCHA in points only to University of St. Thomas' Alex Gaffney who has nine points in five games for the Tommies.
• Senior Reilly Funk paces the team and is tied for the CCHA lead with four goals. He has added an assists for five points on the season tied for sixth most in the CCHA.
• Bemidji State has four skaters who are ranked in the top-10 in the CCHA in points (Peer, Adam Flammang, Magnussen, Funk).
• Funk has posted a team-high 16 shots on goal which is the second most in the league.
• 22-of-24 BSU skaters this season have recorded at least one point.
• Magnussen paces the team and the CCHA with a +6 rating on the ice.
• He is followed by rookie defenseman Max Vig who is a +5 rating on the ice.
• Sophomore Hudson Thornton paces the Beavers' blueline with three points (1g-2a) all of which have come on the power play leading the team.
• Bemidji State has scored four power-play goals this season, third most in the CCHA and third in the conference with a .182 power-play percentage (4-of-22).
• Bemidji State leads the CCHA with 22 goals scored ranking third in the league averaging 3.67 goals per game.
• Freshman Max Hildebrand has started four of the teams six games and is 1-3-0 with a 4.36 goals against average and .857 save percentage.
• Junior Raythan Robbins has made two starts and is 1-1-0 with a 2.54 goals against average and .917 save percentage.
• Sophomore Trent Wiemken made his collegiate debut last weekend playing 30 minutes in relief and made nine of 10 saves.
• Bemidji State is 4-3-0 all-time against the Vikings since their series first started during the 2023-24 season.
• The two teams meet for the first time since the Beavers ended the Vikings season in the first round of the CCHA Playoffs last season.
• The teams have played just twice at Sanford Center splitting their series Feb. 2-3, 2024.
• Senior defenseman Vince Corcoran leads the team with six points (1g-5a) in seven games versus the Vikings with Adam Flammang (3g-2a) and Reilly Funk (3g-1a) following.
• 2025-26 is the 70th season of Beaver Hockey and its 27th season in Division I.
• Head Coach Tom Serratore is in his 25th season leading the Beaver Hockey program and is tied with Rico Blasi of University of St. Thomas as the most tenured coach in the CCHA.
• Serratore is the sixth-most tenured coach among active coaches in Division I and is ninth among active coaches with 405 career wins.
• He is an eight-time conference Coach of the Year and the second winningest coach in Beaver Hockey history (R.H. "Bob" Peters).
• Serratore returns a veteran group from the 2024-25 season as 18 skaters make their return to the squad while 10 newcomers look to make their green and white debut.
• Bemidji State returns seven of its 10 leading scorers from last season including top point-getter and 2025-26 captain, Kirklan Irey.
• Irey captains the Beavers during the 2025-26 season after he led the Beavers in points with 24 (11g-13a).
• Senior Reilly Funk also returns after finishing second on the team with 23 points and led the Beavers with 16 assists.
• The Beavers' most experienced group is their blueline returning five of their top seven defensemen from last season.
• BSU has an average of 59 games played between its seven returning blueliners.
• It's top returning point-getter from the blueline is sophomore Isa Parekh who totaled 18 points (3g-15a) and was a CCHA All-Rookie Team selection last year.
• He is followed by senior Patrik Satosaari who had 10 points (3g-7a) from the blue line while seniors Mitch Wolfe (2g-6a) and A.J. Macaulay (0g-2a) followed.
• Bemidji State returns 54-percent of its goals from last season led by Kirklan Irey (11), Reilly Funk (7) and Kasper Magnussen (7).
• The Beavers will have new faces in net following the graduation of Mattias Sholl who made 117 appearances during his collegiate career.
• Bemidji State's most experienced goaltender is junior Raythan Robbins who as played 171 minutes in his career.
• Also returning is sophomore Trent Wiemken who has yet to make an appearance while freshman and Western Hockey League (WHL) Goaltender of the Year Max Hildebrand will guard the net for the Beavers this season.
• The Beavers return nine forwards including eight from the senior or junior class.
• 10 newcomers were brought in for a total roster size of 28 (15-F, 10-D, 3-G).
• Vincent Labelle, Connor McClennon, Hudson Thornton, Vann Yuhas, Oliver Peer, Max Hildebrand, Max Vig, Ben Vigneault, Oscar Karlsson and Max Namestnikov all look to make their debut for Bemidji State this season.
• Three newcomers come from the USports league of Canada (Labelle, McClennon, Peer), one from the ECHL (Thornton), one NCAA transfer (Yuhas) and five from junior hockey leagues (Hildebrand-WHL, Vig-USHL, Vigneault-QMJHL, Karlsson-J20 Nationell, Namestnikov-OHL).
• Freshman Max Vig highlights the Beavers' newcomers after he was drafted 209th overall (7th Round) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He is the seventh Beaver to be drafted into the NHL and first since Eric Pohlkamp (2023).
• Vig joins Pohlkamp (fifth round - San Jose - 132nd), Radoslav Illo (fifth round - Anaheim - 136th), Chris Peluso (seventh round - Pittsburgh - 194th), Andrew Murray (eighth round - Columbus - 242nd), Gary Sargent (third round - Los Angeles - 48th) and Dale Smedsmo (seventh round - Toronto - 93rd) as Bemidji State NHL draft picks.
• Bemidji State's roster primarily consists of those hailing from Canada as 50-percent claim roots from our northern neighbors.
• 14 call Canada home while 11 are from the United States and three from Europe.
• Bemidji State has the most Canadians (14) on its team since the 2016-17 season.
• Irey is the 65th captain in Beaver Hockey history and is joined by Vince Corcoran, Adam Flammang and Mitch Wolfe who will serve as alternates.
• The Beavers were voted to finish sixth in the CCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll after garnering 54 points in the poll and Parekh was selected as a CCHA Preseason All-CCHA Team member.
• By average, Bemidji State is one of the smallest teams in Division I Men's Hockey tying with Lake Superior State, Mercyhurst and Quinnipiac with an average height of 5'11.6".

For more information on the Bemidji State men's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X or Instagram or like them on Facebook.
 
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).
 
--bsu—