Mike Reilly honored off ice, impressive on it as Gophers sweep Bemidji State

The moment passed with little acknowledgment from Mike Reilly, who was more interested in finishing off the sweep of Bemidji State.

A pair of assists and an impressive defensive effort from the junior defenseman helped the Gophers secure a 5-3 victory over the Beavers on Saturday night at Mariucci Arena. Justin Kloos, Kyle Rau and Travis Boyd all contributed a goal and assist. Goaltender Adam Wilcox had 19 saves as the No. 1 Gophers improve to 4-0.

However the moment that will stand in Gophers hockey history took place during a TV timeout early in the second period.

Reilly was sitting on a far end of the bench when the game was paused to welcome him into elite company as the program's 33rd first team All-America. He lifted his head to watch his own highlight reel on the jumbotron and then soaked in an ovation that followed the unveiling of his portrait on the large All-America mural in the northeast corner of the arena.

Senior alternate captain Ben Marshall skated to Reilly's end of the bench and celebrated the moment by tapping his helmet. The song "Be like Mike" echoed through the ears of 9,849 fans for about a minute and then the attention turned back to the game.

Reilly's decision to minimize the spotlight matched his attitude about first team All-America recognition. He makes sure to always give all the credit to his teammates.

"It was pretty special for sure," Reilly said. "I knew coming into [the game] there was a little talk about [a ceremony] that's the reason a lot of my family and friends came. It's a great honor, but you're playing with so many great guys night in and night out and they just make it easy. And each guy is making every other guy look good.

It's hard to argue with his stats and individual effort, though. This weekend alone, Reilly recorded his 50th career point with an assist Friday night. He had assists Saturday night on Kyle Rau's goal late in the first period and Justin Kloos' late in the second period which tied the game 3-3.

Reilly also showed off the little things that make him a defensive threat. Moments before the Gophers pulled ahead midway through third period on a power-play goal by Boyd, Reilly kept the play intact by saving Bemidji's attempt to clear the puck.

Several passes later the Gophers took a 4-3 lead and the defense shut down the Beavers the rest of the way. Bemidji only got off five shots on goal in the final period after scoring two goals in the second period.

"It's a tremendous honor to be a first team All-American and be on the mural. I'm sure 20 years from now when he's back in Mariucci Arena it'll mean even more when he's with his own family," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "Obviously Mike is a go-to player. He's improved tremendously every year he's been here."

The Gophers' defensive effort struggled to keep up with the Beavers in the second period. Matt Prapavessis and Markus Gerbrandt scored back-to-back goals in a two-minute span to take the Beavers' second lead of the night.

Brady Skjei added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.