Bemidji State has signed five hockey players for next season. And the Beavers spread a wide recruiting net, getting players from as far away as California and Sweden.
They five are:
* Markus Gerbrandt of Edmonton, Alberta. The 5-11, 175-pound forward had 40 goals and 86 points for Fort McMurray of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He has played three seasons of junior hockey.
* James Hansen of Maple Grove. The 6-1, 210-pound defenseman had three goals and 14 points in 60 games with Waterloo of the USHL.
"We are excited about the strength, size and mobility James possesses," Beavers assistant coach Ted Belisle said. "He will add several dynamics to our defensive corps moving forward. He has great legs, he can eat up minutes and is a very good defender."
* Brad Robbins of Murrieta, Calif. The 5-8, 165-pound forward led Sioux City in scoring with 25 goals and 49 points. He had 11 power-play goals.
* Fabian Sivnert of Höllviken, Sweden. The 5-11, 185-pound goale was 18-9-2 for the Valley Jr. Warriors of the Eastern Junior Hockey League last season. He had a 2.53 goal-against average and a .926 save percentage, which ranked third and second, respectively, in the EJHL. He had ar leasst 30 saves in 17 gamea and was the league's goalie of the year.
* Cory Ward of Las Vegas. The 6-0, 200-pound forward led Aberdeen of the NAHL with 35 goals, nine on the power play.
