MEN’S HOCKEY: Fast start powers Game 2 win as Beavers keep season alive

BEMIDJI -- A slick first goal can really energize a team.

It certainly did for the Bemidji State men’s hockey team on Saturday at the Sanford Center. When Lukas Sillinger scored on a nifty toe-drag move at the 8:20 mark of the first period, it revived the Beavers after their disappointing loss against Bowling Green on Friday night.

They translated that momentum into a 3-0 lead and ultimately a 4-2 win, sending the two teams’ best-of-three CCHA quarterfinal series to a deciding third game on Sunday.

“Big goal by Lukas right there,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said. “They were taking it to us. I thought the first seven, eight, nine minutes was all Bowling Green. I thought we were chasing the game. I didn't think we had very good feet. (The goal gave us) a shot in the arm. And then after that, I thought the mojo went our way.”

Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer

After Sillinger’s early goal put Bemidji State (17-19) up one, Sam Solensky doubled it up with a wide-angle shot at 15:12 for a 2-0 lead. Tyler Kirkup fortified the advantage at 1:16 in the second period with a shorthanded score that he converted just before falling down in the crease.

The 3-0 lead gave the Beavers a durable cushion that proved capable of withstanding the response from BGSU (15-18-3).

“We were fortunate enough to get that lead,” Serratore said. “And then that third goal was a big goal. It was kind of a weird carom off the end wall, but we'll take that any day of the week.”

Bowling Green would not be shut out, as Sam Craggs netted an answer in the midst of traffic at 6:37 in the second. Craggs officially made it a game at 3:26 in the third period, scoring again to put the Falcons within one.

But BSU held the line, and then finished it off with an empty-net goal by Brad Johnson at 17:30.

Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer

“That's just playoff hockey,” Sillinger said. “Obviously, it was do or die for us tonight, so we really had to leave it all out there. It was just a mindset, mainly, just to do whatever it takes. Get your stick in a lane, get a puck out, the little things that make a big difference. And we did a good job with the little things tonight.”

Mattias Sholl anchored the Beavers down the stretch and all night, serving as the backbone of BSU’s defense and finishing with 27 saves. While he again posted multiple highlight-reel stops, perhaps his most impressive contribution was shutting down multiple Bowling Green scoring chances by repeatedly trapping the puck late in the game.

Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer

“When you're feeling good, you can track the puck a bit better, and I just saw it well tonight,” Sholl said. “It's huge for a goalie to be able to track the pucks, and it's nice when your defensemen are blocking shots and clearing the lanes out and all that. So once it all comes together and clicks like that, we get our offense going, we're a tough team to beat.”

Bemidji State certainly hopes to be unbeatable on Sunday. Another win would advance the Beavers through to the CCHA semifinals for a single game against second-seeded Michigan Tech, which finished off a sweep of Ferris State on Saturday.

But for now, BSU has bigger fish – or Falcons – to fry, and will match up for a third and final time with BGSU at 5:07 p.m. on Sunday, March 6, at the Sanford Center.

1/6: Bemidji State senior Tyler Jubenvill (15) skates with the puck in the second period against Bowling Green in a CCHA quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Sanford Center.

2/6: The Beavers celebrate Tyler Kirkup’s (27) game-winning goal in the second period against Bowling Green in a CCHA quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Sanford Center.

3/6: Bemidji State senior Tyler Kirkup (27) gains possession of the puck in the second period against Bowling Green in a CCHA quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Sanford Center.

4/6: Bemidji State junior Sam Solensky (6) scores in the first period against Bowling Green in a CCHA quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Sanford Center.

5/6: The Beavers celebrate following Brad Johnson’s (18) empty-net goal in the third period against Bowling Green in a CCHA quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Sanford Center.

6/6: Bemidji State senior Alex Adams battles to get to the puck in the first period against Bowling Green in a CCHA quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Sanford Center.