2021-22 (Sr)
• CCHA All-Academic Team
• CCHA Forward of the Week (Oct. 18)
One of seven Beavers to play in all 39 games during the season...Posted 18 points off 12 goals and six assists to finish seventh on the team... His 12 goals were good for fourth on the team... Scored two power-play goals, two short-handed goals and one game-winning goal... Had a shooting percentage of .197 and blocked the second most shots by a BSU forward (24)... Had his first two goal game against North Dakota on Oct. 16, a 4-3 victory... Finished his career with 131 games played and 48 points off 21 goals and 27 assists... Following the season he signed a contract to play professionally with the ECHL's Reading Royals.
2020-21 (Jr)
• WCHA All-Academic Team
• WCHA Scholar-Athlete
Made an appearance in all 27 games as a junior. Posted 10 points on three goals and seven assists. Posted a game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime victory versus Lake Superior State (3/2). Turned in 17 blocked shots to rank second among BSU's forwards, which included a career-high four blocks in a 1-1 draw at Minnesota State. At .487 was third on the team in ace off win percentage (154/162). His +6 plus/minus rating was second on the team. Finished the season with 36 shots on goal and four penalty minutes.
2019-20 (So)
• WCHA Scholar-Athlete
• WCHA All-Academic Team
Kirkup saw time in 36 games as a sophomore... He totaled 13 points setting career-high marks with four goals and nine assists... Posted a multi-point game, netting a pair of assists in a 7-0 victory over Alabama-Huntsville (11/23/20)... Recorded a six-game stretch from Nov. 22-Dec. 7 during which he netted six points (2g-4a)... Logged a power-play goal in a 4-1 victory over Bowling Green (1/31/19)... Two of his four goals stood as game-winners... He posted had a season-high of four shots at Alaska Anchorage (2/21/20) along with two blocked shots at Minnesota State (2/25/20)... Finished the season with a +6 plus/minus rating and nine blocked shots.
2018-19 (Fr)
The freshman appeared in 27 games with the Beavers... Totaled two goals and five assists for seven points with 18 shots on goal... Made his collegiate debut in a 4-2 victory over Minnesota State (11/24/18)... Logged his first point, an assist, in a 3-3 draw at Air Force (12/29/18)--his eighth game as a Beaver... Scored his first collegiate goal to help lead the Beavers to a 5-3 victory at Lake Superior State (1/25/19) added his second tally the following game, a 3-3- tie at Ferris State (2/8/19)... He netted an assist in each game as well to account for his first two collegiate muti-point efforts... Marked a lone penalty for two minutes and ended the season with a -3 plus/minus rating and three blocked shots.
Prior to Bemidji State
Logged nearly 200 games over the course of his three-year junior career with the Virden Oil Capitals of the MJHL... Served as the team’s alternate captain during his final season with the Oil Capitals and was named to the MJHL’s Second All-Star Team... Kirkup posted 75 points (40g-35a) in 60 games, which included four points (1g-3a) in 13 playoff games... His 40 goals was not only a team-high, he also led the MJHL... He paced the Oil Capitals with 10 power-play goals and was second on the team with 20 points on the man advantage, while his four game-winning goals tied for second on the team... At 1.25 points per game, he recorded 25 multi-point games, which included a five-point (2g-3a) performance in the 2017-18 season opener. A contributor for his hometown Virden club from day one of his junior career in 2014-15, he consistently elevated his play... He recorded 33 points (10g-23a) in 60 games, playing as a teammate of former Beaver Zach Whitecloud, in 2015-16 and netted 48 points (17g-31a) in 57 games in 2016-17 before his league-leading 2017-18 goal-scoring campaign.
Personal
Born April 3, 1998... He is the son of Kary Kirkup... He is pursuing a business finance degree at Bemidji State... His sister Karissa Kirkup played hockey at the University of Maine in 2013-14.
Career Highs
Goals: 2, at North Dakota (10/16/21)
Assists: 2, vs Alabama-Huntsville (11/23/19)
Points: 2, 6x last at North Dakota (10/16/21)
SOG: 5, 2x last vs Lake Superior State (1/7/22)
PIM: 15, at Bowling Green (1/15/22)
