Keep an Eye on Bemidji State Women

The Bemidji State Beavers have put on some very good defensive teams in the past four or five years in the women's hockey front and nothing has changed in this young season either. Giving teams like North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota troubles in the past, is this finally the time for them to crack the top 10 in the USCHO poll? Right now the Bemidji ladies are sitting just outside the top 10, but knocking on the door after starting the season 4-0-0 and rattling off back to back 4-0 shutouts against RPI and Vermont.

Starting 4-0-0 is nothing to bat your eyes at when talking about NCAA Division 1 hockey, but it also must be said that each victory has come outside of the very tough WCHA. However, they did sweep Robert Morris on the road and they beat Vermont a night after Vermont took it to UND at the Ralph.

This group of ladies is one to keep a sharp eye on for the rest of the season. They could be playing spoiler to someone in the WCHA when it comes to making the Final Face-Off this season. Their time unranked could soon be over. They cracked the top ten for me already.

USCHO Women's top 10
1. Wisconsin
2. Minnesota
3. Harvard
4. BC
5. Cornell
6. BU
7. Clarkson
8. Mercyhurst
9. Quinnipiac
10. North Dakota

My Women's top 10
1. Wisconsin
2. Minnesota
3. BC
4. Harvard
5. BU
6. Clarkson
7. Cornell
8. North Dakota
9. Mercyhurst
10. Bemidji State

Beavers Outhustle UND, Win 5-1

The University of North Dakota hockey team appeared ready to kick off the 2014-15 season. First up for UND, the Bemidji State Beavers in a home-and-home series.

Historically, UND hockey teams have started slow and peaked at the end of the season. There was a sense that this year could be different. 

Hold that thought for a minute.

Friday night was UND's home opener, and nothing went right for UND. You could say that the home team came out a bit flat. UND turned over the puck and the Beavers pounced on the home team's miscues. Maybe UND underestimated the Beavers a bit. Now, before we get excited, this is only one game. 

Also, you have to give credit where credit is due. The Beavers came out and pushed the pace, and played like the team that went to the Frozen Four last season. You could say that the Beavers beat UND at their own game. 

The Beavers were rewarded for their efforts and scored four goals in a 08:41 span to put the game out of reach, squashing any hope of an opening night win at the Ralph. UND would drop the home opener for the first time since the 2001 season when UND lost 7-5 to the Minnesota Gophers.

“We didn’t show up to play,” UND Captain Stephane Pattyn said. “Those guys showed up to play, that’s for sure. They came out hungry and aggressive. Our team just didn’t show up.”

Moving forward, UND must put this loss behind them. This is only one game in a 36 game season. 

“You don’t throw this out,” Hakstol said. “This was a hard lesson learned for our hockey team. Now you have to turn around and go on the road into a real tough building, against a team that is playing real well. That is going to have momentum going into their home opener.”

All-NCHC goalie goalie Zane McIntyre was chased from the game at 17:50 mark of the second period after giving up the fourth BSU goal. I don't know if you can fault the goalie, as he was left out to dry by his teammates all night long. Freshman goalie Cam Johnson relieve McIntyre gave up a goal on his first shot that he faced. 

All-time, BSU has a (3-26-3, .140) record against UND.

Related articles

• Three Questions Facing the UND Hockey Team

Sioux extend streak against Beavers 5-2

Bemidji, MN. -- Coming into tonight's game, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux had won one game in six and were coming off a bye week. They were looking to get back on track after being swept at the hands of the high flying Minnesota Gophers.

The Sioux have never lost to the Bemidji State University Beavers in the modern era 19-0-1, sporting a 14-0-1 mark in the last 15 games. The Sioux extended that streak to 15-0-1 tonight with a goal from Captain Mario Lamoureux.

The Fighting Sioux have never lost a hockey game when Mario Lamoureux scores a goal. The steak was extended to 13-0-0 when Lamoureux has scored the game winning goal for the Fighting Sioux tonight.

When Lamoureux was asked about his ability to score timely goals he said, "When I score I hope that they're big goals, and I just try to go out to play the same way and bury some goals and help the team win, it's more coincidence."

So far this season, it would be safe to say that the Fighting Sioux have suffered their share of setbacks and on Friday the Sioux learned that their highly touted freshman forward Roco Grimaldi had another setback in his recovery and would not play this weekend, and would be out an addtional six to eight weeks.

The Bemidji State Beavers broke through first at the 02:11 mark of the first period. Beaver forward Brance Orban took a feed from Mitch Cain and shot the puck past an un-expecting Aaron Dell. That was the eighth time in 11 games that the Fighting Sioux had given up the first goal of the game.

The Sioux would go on the power play at the 06:43 mark of the first period, when Beavers forward Shea Walters was assessed a two-minute penalty for hooking. The Sioux would waste little time on the ensuing power play, scoring six seconds later with a goal from Corbin Knight. Knight took a loose puck from behind the Beaver net, cut in front of the Beaver net, and shot the puck past Beaver goalie Dan Bakala. The Beavers outshot the Fighting Sioux 11-7 in the first period.

The Sioux took the lead at the 04:30 mark of the second period when freshman forward Brendan O'Donnell took a loose puck that was lying in the crease and shot the puck past Bakala to give the Sioux a 2-1 lead. That was the first career goal for O'Donnell, who had just returned after missing that last six games with a lower body injury.

The Fighting Sioux seemed to pick up their play during the second period and outshot the Beavers 14-8. Both teams exchanged grade "A" scoring chances in the second period but both goalies stood tall and didn?'t let anything else by them.

The Sioux came out flat in the third period and the Beavers capitalized on the Fighting Sioux's sloppy play in the defensive zone. This allowed the Beavers to tie the game at the 01:12 mark of the third period with a nifty goal from Shea Walter, who took a cross-ice feed from Brady Wacker and shot the puck past the Sioux goalie, Dell, who was trying to get over to cover the post.

The two teams would exchange scoring opportunities until the Fighting Sioux broke the tie with a goal at the 15:22 mark of the third period, when Fighting Sioux Captain Mario Lamoureux snaped a shot from the faceoff circle to give the Sioux a 3-2 lead. Picking up the assist on Lamoureux's game winning goal were Ben Blood and Joe Gleason.

The Fighting Sioux extended their lead to two with another snap shot from the same faceoff circle, this time it was Brock Nelson at the 18:30 mark of the third period. Nelson would score again, this time an empty net goal a minute and one second later. The Sioux outshot the Beavers 15-6 in the third period.

Box Score

Cross Posted at INSIDE HOCKEY.