BEMIDJI, Minn. – Despite building a pair of one-goal leads, the Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team came up just short Friday night as No. 2 University North Dakota scored a late third-period game-winning goal to earn a 3-2 victory over the Beavers at Sanford Center.
Bemidji State struck first midway through the opening period when junior forward
Will Dawson buried the first goal of his Beaver career at 11:05 of the first.
Jaksen Panzer and
Jirí Klíma earned assists on the play as the Beavers grabbed a 1-0 advantage.
The lead lasted just 30 seconds before North Dakota answered. Cole Reschny finished off a setup from Will Zellers at 11:35 to even the contest at 1-1 heading into the latter stages of the opening frame.
Bemidji State carried the play early in the second period and regained the lead at 9:10. After creating a turnover in the North Dakota zone,
Ethan Miedema skated into space and fired home an unassisted goal for his first tally of his collegiate career, putting BSU back in front 2-1.
The Fighting Hawks responded on their ensuing power play. With 6:36 remaining in the middle frame, Mac Swanson converted a man-advantage opportunity off assists from Cooper Simpson and Will Zellers to tie the game 2-2.
A tightly contested third period remained deadlocked until the 15:21 mark when Reschny struck again. The sophomore forward finished a rush opportunity from Zellers and Sam Laurila, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal and giving North Dakota its first lead of the night at 3-2.
Bemidji State pushed for the equalizer late, including a power-play opportunity in the final 23 seconds after pulling its goaltender for an extra attacker creating a 6-on-4 advantage. The Beavers generated a pair of chances, but North Dakota netminder Jan Špunar and the Fighting Hawks' defense held on to preserve the one-goal victory.
Goaltender
Max Hildebrand turned aside 27 of 30 shots for the Beavers, earning third-star honors after several key saves throughout the night. North Dakota held a 30-20 edge in shots on goal, while Bemidji State blocked 13 shots and won 28-of-57 faceoffs.
Dawson and Miedema each scored their first goals of the season for BSU, while Panzer and Klíma recorded assists. North Dakota was led by Reschny's two-goal performance and Zellers' three-assist night.
With the loss, Bemidji State moved to 1-1-0 on the season, while North Dakota improved to 1-0-0. The two teams conclude the weekend series Saturday night in Grand Forks, N.D., at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Puck drop is slated for 6:07 p.m.
For the most up to date 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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