Puck Drop Tour second stop: Bemidji State

The inaugural Puck Drop Tour of Minnesota resumed Tuesday after a fun and productive opening day at Minnesota Duluth. A quick, 150-mile jaunt west on U.S. Hwy. 2 was thankfully uneventful when that deer, at the last second, decided not to jump in front of the Puck Drop Civic, but also exhilarating with the sight of a bald eagle circling just above the pines in the Chippewa National Forest.

Stop Two of the tour was Bemidji, where visiting the Paul Bunyan and Babe statues was a touristy must before heading over to the Sanford Center to check in with Bemidji State's men's and women's hockey teams.

For both BSU teams, the 2019-20 season brings the hope of upward mobility after each finished fifth in their respective WCHA standings last season.

Tom Serratore's Beavers men's team went 15-17-6 in 2018-19 while relying heavily on underclassmen for scoring. "We had one of the youngest forward groups in the country last year, and now they're experienced,'' said Serratore, in his 19^th season at Bemidji State. "They played some prominent roles on our team, and they're ready to step up.''

Led by Charlie Combs (11 goals, 11 assists, 22 points), Adam Brady (8-13-21) and Aaron Miller (11-9-20), five of the Beavers' leading scorers from last season return as either juniors or seniors.

Along the blue line, Serratore must work in four freshmen who played prominent roles for their USHL teams last season. He'll lean on senior captain Tommy Muck, a four-year regular on the blue line, to help the newcomers assimilate. "They're young,'' Muck said, "and they're going to have some questions. The biggest thing for us is to let them know we're right there with them.''

"We think we have a good leadership group, a good core group,'' Serratore added.

"He logged a lot of minutes last year,'' said Serratore, who'll wait to announce his starter in net. "He's quick, he's athletic. He takes his craft very seriously.''

The Beavers open their season with a pair of series against NCHC teams. They're home vs. St. Cloud State on Oct. 11-12, then travel to North Dakota two weeks later.

Bemidji State's women's team, 13-21-2 last season, returns 16 upperclassmen and aims to be a factor in the WCHA race. Last season, the Beavers started 0-9-1 before a second-half surge that included a 2-1 win over eventual national champion Wisconsin.

"We're experienced in basically every position,'' said coach Jim Scanlan, whose team opens the season Oct. 4-5 with a home series against Lindenwood. "Thirteen of our top 14 scorers are back and five of our top six 'D'. It's a matter of coming together and everyone playing to their ability.''

Leading those returnees is junior center Clair DeGeorge, who led the team with 22 points and scored nine goals on her way to WCHA All-Rookie honors. DeGeorge, who played for the U.S. Under-22 Select Team this summer, welcomes the return to health of linemates Lydia Passolt and Haley Mack. "I'm very excited to have my line fully back together,'' she said. "The three of us – we work so well together. In practice, it's been getting better and better.''

The Puck Drop Tour of Minnesota continues Wednesday with a visit to the Granite City to check out the Huskies men's and women's teams.