Bemidji State routs U for split of series

Harkness, Kyndell, Dml - Star Tribune

Bemidji State goalie Mathieu Dugas blocked Taylor Matson’s shot in the second period Sunday.

The Beavers came back from Saturday night's loss, using three quick goals to put Sunday's game out of reach.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: November 16, 2009 - 12:11 AM

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BEMIDJI STATE 6, GOPHERS 2 Up next: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday vs. Minnesota Duluth • Mariucci Arena • TV: FSN

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Gophers coach Don Lucia was a strong supporter of Bemidji State's bid to become a WCHA member next season. This past week he kept repeating the Beavers were ready to join arguably the nation's toughest conference.

Exhibit A could be Sunday's game at Mariucci Arena. The No. 7 Beavers showed their strong bite, embarrassing the Gophers 6-2 before an announced crowd of 9,913. Twice Lucia switched goalies, pulling starter Alex Kangas after the first period and then putting him back in at 3 minutes, 4 seconds of the third when Kent Patterson was being shelled.

Patterson departed after giving up three goals in a 2 1/2-minute span that ballooned the Beavers' 3-1 lead to 6-1.

"They counter-attack well. They were waiting for us to make some mistakes, and we made some mistakes," Lucia said. "We had some guys who, quite frankly, had a bad weekend on back-to-back nights. We overcame it [Saturday] night but we didn't tonight."

Bemidji State (8-1-1) had not beaten the Gophers in seven previous meetings since becoming a Division I program in 1999-2000. Minnesota won Saturday's series opener 4-1.

"It's a monumental win," Beavers coach Tom Serratore said. "This is Minnesota pride on ice. It's a great program. Any time you can win in this building you take it. It's a very difficult place to play."

The Beavers looked very comfortable, though, as the third period began.

Defenseman Brad Hunt got the Beavers rolling with a power-play goal at 1:38 from 45 feet straight out. Jamie MacQueen scored his second goal of the game unassisted 14 seconds later on a breakaway and then Aaron McLeod joined the BSU spree with a short backhander.

"We got some breaks and some pucks landed our way early in the third," Serratore said. "Obviously I am surprised by the margin, but again things happen. It's a weird game, hockey, no question."

The Beavers took a 2-0 lead in the first period by scoring on half their shots on net. Shea Walters scored an unassisted goal from 30 feet out at 8:00 after intercepting a pass at midice. Matt Read, one of the nation's top scorers, made it 2-0 BSU with a shot from the right dot with 50 seconds left in the period.

The Gophers (4-5-1) outshot the Beavers 10-4 and had their chances in the opening period, too, but nothing clicked.

Jordan Schroeder's power-play goal midway through the second period cut the Beavers' lead to 2-1. Mathieu Dugas, a 21-year-old freshman from L'Assomption, Quebec, had shut out Northern Michigan in his only other college start and held the Gophers scoreless for 1 1/2 periods.

A five-minute major penalty on Zach Budish for checking from behind at 13:50 of the middle period got the Gophers in more trouble. Their streak of killing off 24 consecutive penalties ended when MacQueen scored 2:21 into the power play to put the Beavers ahead 3-1. His shot glanced off the inside post.

A minute before MacQueen's goal, the Gophers' Tony Lucia had a breakaway but his shot hit the crossbar.

"If that goes in, it is 2-2," coach Lucia said. "But you still got to make plays and finish out the game."

The visitors did.

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