DULUTH, Minn. – Freshman
Jirí Klíma scored his first goal as a Beaver, and
Max Hildebrand made 28 saves as the Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team fell 4-1 to No. 8/9 University of Minnesota Duluth Friday night at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
Minnesota Duluth opened the scoring 6:51 into the first period when Luke Bibby scored his third goal of the season. Hunter Anderson and Jayson Shaugabay earned assists on the game's opening goal.
Bemidji State responded with several opportunities and finished the opening period with an 11-10 advantage in shots on goal.
Maxon Vig led the Beavers with three shots during the period, while Hildebrand stopped nine of the 10 shots he faced.
Neither team scored during the second period. Hildebrand turned aside all 11 shots he faced, including three during Minnesota Duluth's lone power play of the game, to keep Bemidji State within one heading into the third.
The Bulldogs extended their lead two minutes into the third period when Callum Arnott scored the eventual game-winning goal. Zam Plante then made it 3-0 at 7:59 before Ty Hanson added another goal at 9:47.
Bemidji State broke through with 21.9 seconds remaining. Klíma scored his first goal of the season and first as a Beaver, finishing a setup from
Jaksen Panzer for his team-leading third point of the season.
Klíma and
Luke Roelofs paced the Beavers with four shots on goal apiece. Vig,
Hudson Thornton and
Aiden Ziprick each added three shots.
Hildebrand played all 60 minutes and stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced. The Beavers blocked 13 shots, led by three apiece from
Joe Gramer and Thornton.
Minnesota Duluth finished with a 32-27 advantage in shots on goal and narrowly won the faceoff battle, 37-35. Bemidji State went 0-for-2 on the power play but killed off the Bulldogs' lone opportunity with the man advantage.
Jake McLean won seven of his 12 faceoffs, while Panzer won nine draws and collected his second assist of the season. Zam Plante led the Bulldogs with a goal and an assist.
The Beavers return home to Sanford Center and now host the Bulldogs for the series finale in Bemidji, Minn. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:07 p.m.
For the most up to date information on the Bemidji State men's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit
BSUBeavers.com or follow the Beavers on
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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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