Brent Cizek, Bemidji State Athletics
BEMIDJI, Minn. (UND Athletics)– Bemidji State goaltender Mattias Sholl finished with 34 saves on 35 shots against to help the host Beavers defeat No. 14/15 North Dakota, 2-1, on Friday night from the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.
UND (7-7-0) threw everything it could at the goaltender, but Sholl stood strong over the 60 minutes to help the Beavers notch only their sixth win in 50 tries in the all-time series.
Sacha Boisvert potted the goal for the Fighting Hawks in the loss, giving the freshman his team-leading sixth of the season and a tally in four straight games. T.J. Semptimphelter finished with 20 saves on 22 shots against, but dropped to 6-5-0 this season with the defeat.
After a scoreless first period, UND came out with a big push to start the second period, as the visitors collected seven of the first 10 shots on goal of the frame. The momentum looked to be shifting at the exact midway point of the game, however, as Cade Littler was whistled for a major penalty and game misconduct to give the Beavers a power play.
The penalty kill rose up for the Fighting Hawks, holding the Beavers to just one shot on goal over the major and generating multiple shorthanded chances themselves to keep the game scoreless in the final minutes of the second. BSU would take a 1-0 lead at the 19:04 mark of the stanza, as Mitch Wolfe jumped into the rush and snapped home his first goal of the season to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage after 40.
BSU doubled its lead in the third on another goal from a defenseman, as Isa Parekh blasted a one-timer past Semptimphelter to give Beavers a 2-0 lead with just over halfway remaining in the final stanza.
Following a flurry of chances, UND finally broke through when Boisvert’s pass deflected off a Beaver stick and into the net to pull the Hawks within a goal at 2-1 with 3:33 to play. The visitors nearly brought the game level moments later, as Mac Swanson found himself alone in the slot, but Sholl came up with a huge save to keep the Beavers in front.
The Hawks couldn’t find the equalizer with the goalie pulled in the dying minutes, as Bemidji State skated away with a 2-1 win in the series opener.
North Dakota will look to even the series on Saturday night at 6:07 p.m. from Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Postgame Notes
- Andrew Strathmann returned to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 1 at Cornell
- Louis Jamernik V did not dress for the first time since Feb. 12, 2021 vs. Colorado College
- Friday marked only the second time in the last seven games that UND did not score first
- Sacha Boisvert has now scored in four straight games
- Boisvert also takes over the team lead with six goals on the season
- Jake Livanavage dished out the primary helper to give him a team-best 10 assists
- Owen McLaughlin also tallied an assist to give him eight on the campaign
- UND finished with a 35-22 shot advantage, with Sholl finishing with 34 saves
- NoDak falls to 37-6-7 all-time in the series and 11-3-3 in Bemidji
- The Hawks are now 5-5-0 this season in nonconference games
- Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play
- UND blocked 14 shots, with EJ Emery and Caleb MacDonald each blocking three
- North Dakota finished with a 31-29 advantage in the dot, with Jake Schmaltz pacing at 14-13
How It Happened
First Period
No scoring
Second Period
19:04 | BSU – Mitch Wolfe (1) from Eric Martin (7) and Vince Corcoran (4)
Third Period
8:24 | BSU – Isa Parekh (3) from Tory Lund (1) and Reilly Funk (4)
16:27 | UND – Sacha Boisvert (6) from Jake Livanavage (10) and Owen McLaughlin (8)
Game Recap: Men’s Hockey | | Alec Stocker Johnson, FightingHawks.com
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