BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team makes its return to Sanford Center this weekend and hosts Northern Michigan University Friday and Saturday for a Central Collegiate Hockey Association series.
 
The Beavers (7-5-2, 5-1-2 CCHA) return to their home rink where they are 4-2-0 this season and host the Wildcats (0-12-0, 0-4-0 CCHA) who are looking for their first road victory (0-7-0) of the season. Game one is slated for 7:07 p.m. at Sanford Center with game two to follow Saturday at 6:07 p.m.
 
Each game will be exclusively streamed online at MidCo Sports Plus with the Beaver Radio Network providing play-by-play. Fans can also tune-in to the Beaver Radio Network broadcast for both games on the radio dial at 92.1 FM or online at www.beaverradionetwork.com.
 
Bemidji State Notes

• The Beavers are coming off a three-point weekend on the road at (RV) Michigan Tech earning three-or-more points in all four of their CCHA series to start conference play.
• Bemidji State and Michigan Tech went to overtime in each game of the series.
• The two teams skated to a 2-2 tie in game one but BSU earned the extra point in league standings with a shootout victory.
• However, the Huskies responded and scored in overtime in game two to earn two points of their own Saturday.
• The Beavers have gone into the 3-on-3 overtime period in three straight games and six of their last eight.
• BSU leads the NCAA with three overtime goals this season.
• Senior Adam Flammang led the Beavers in Houghton scoring a goal and an assist to finish with two points against the Huskies.
• He scored both points on Friday to extend his point streak to eight and goal streak to five games but had them both snapped Saturday with just his second 0-point game of the season.
• Flammang paces the Beavers with 16 points (6g-10a) on the season and is second in the CCHA. He is tied for 12th in the NCAA.
• Bemidji State has three skaters in the top-10 in points in the CCHA with Flammang, Oliver Peer (14) and Kasper Magnussen (12).
• Oliver Peer's seven goals leads the team and is tied for the lead in the CCHA. He is tied for 15th in all of NCAA DI.
• The Beavers rank fourth in the CCHA in both goals scored per game (3.07) and goals allowed per game (2.57). Their 43 goals scored on the season is a league high and the ninth most in the NCAA.
• Bemidji State is third in the CCHA on the power play holding a .176 power-play percentage (9-of-51).
• Bemidji State is sixth in the league on the penalty kill with a .804 penalty-kill percentage (45-of-56) but was 8-for-9 in Houghton (.889).
• The Beavers have scored a power-play goal in seven-of-14 games this season.
• Bemidji State's defense has stymied its opposing team's shooters and is second in the CCHA allowing its opponents just 26.2 shots per game.
• Sophomore defenseman Hudson Thornton paces the Beavers' blueline with five points (1g-4a) and is second in the league with 24 blocked shots.
• Head coach Tom Serratore has split time in between the pipes between junior Raythan Robbins and freshman Max Hildebrand.
• Robbins paces the CCHA with a 1.94 goals against average and is 3-1-2 on the season. His .921 save percentage is fifth in the league.
• Hildebrand is 4-4-0 on the season with a 3.05 GAA and .888 save percentage but in conference games only, he is 3-1-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .921 save percentage.
• In conference games only, Robbins and Hildebrand rank No. 2 and No. 3 in GAA and No. 6 and No. 7 in save percentage.
• Bemidji State is 21-15-7 all-time against Northern Michigan but just 9-10-4 when facing the Wildcats at home.
• The Wildcats have gotten the better of the Beavers as of late going 3-1-1 in the last five matchups including a sweep of BSU at Sanford Center in their only meeting last season.
• Flammang paces the team with four points (3g-1a) against the Wildcats.
• Head coach Tom Serratore is 21-15-7 all-time against NMU.
• Bemidji State is receiving votes in the USCHO.com Top-20 national poll for the fifth time this season but remains unranked in the USA Hockey College Hockey Poll.
• 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 408 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 has 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).
 
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