SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Bemidji State University Men's Hockey junior
Adam Flammang scored 4:13 into sudden-death overtime to send the Beavers into the next round of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Mason Cup Playoffs Sunday evening with a 3-2 overtime victory over Augustana University in game three of their best-of-three quarterfinal series in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The seventh-seed Beavers (15-17-5) upset the second-seed Vikings (18-13-4) and advance to the single-elimination semifinal round of the CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs next Saturday (March 15). The Beavers will face top-seeded Minnesota State University, Mankato at Mayo Clinic HSEC in Mankato, Minn., for the program's first-ever back-to-back CCHA Mason Cup Championship appearance.
Bemidji State used late-game heroics to force overtime with the Vikings after trailing 2-1 with 6:19 to play, sophomore
Noah Quinn scored the game-tying goal and sent the game into the 20-minute, sudden-death overtime. 4:13 later, Flammang used a well-placed wrist shot that beat Augustana's Josh Kotai over the left should for the game-winning goal.
Senior netminder
Mattias Sholl was dominant for the Beavers making 41 saves to capture his eighth playoff victory, the most saves in the playoffs since Michael Bitzer made 41 saves against Ferris State in a triple overtime WCHA Quarterfinal game on March 14, 2015. The 41 saves is tied for the fourth-most by a BSU goaltender in the playoffs in the Beavers' Division I era.
Flammang finished with a goal and assist to lead the Beavers with two points while eight different skaters registered a point in the game. It was the second night in-a-row that the St. Michael, Minn., scored the game-winning goal for the Beavers.
Bemidji State opened the game when fifth-year senior captain
Jackson Jutting scored a power-play goal just 4:28 after the opening face-off.
The Vikings would tie it up before the first intermission when Hunter Bischoff scored an even-strength goal with 8:25 left in the opening frame.
The teams skated into the first intermission locked in the 1-1 tie and halfway through the second period, Bischoff scored his second of the game to hand the Vikings their first lead of the game.
Augustana played much of the rest of the game with the one-goal lead but with 6:19 to play, Quinn redirected a
Vince Corcoran shot from the point past Kotai for the game-tying goal.
From then on, the Beavers had all the momentum and after 60 minutes, the teams would head into the overtime period where Flammang sent the Beavers on to the next round of the CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs.
The Beavers finished the game 1-for-3 on the power play to go 2-for-7 (.286) in the series while their penalty kill was dominant going a perfect 12-for-12 in the series including going 5-for-5 Sunday.
Bemidji State now prepares for the CCHA Semifinals next Saturday and face long-time rival Minnesota State for a trip to the CCHA Championship game. Puck drop for the Beavers and Mavericks is slated for 7:07 p.m., in Mankato.
For more information on the Bemidji State men's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit
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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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