MANKATO -- The Bemidji State men’s hockey team had to watch as Minnesota State lifted the MacNaughton Cup on Saturday, its reward for claiming the CCHA regular season championship at the Beavers’ expense.
The No. 1 Mavericks beat BSU 5-1 in Mankato to clinch the cup for the fifth consecutive season -- and the first since switching from the WCHA to the CCHA.
MSU (29-5, 21-3 CCHA) scored the first four goals of the game with two apiece in the opening two periods. Lucas Sowder and Julian Napravnik scored in the first, while Cade Borchardt and Ondrej Pavel netted goals in the second for the 4-0 head start.
Will Zmolek ended the shutout at the 12:15 mark of the third period, scoring off feeds from Alex Ierullo and Elias Rosén to get Bemidji State on the board. But it wasn’t enough, and the impact was erased two minutes later when Napravnik scored the final goal for Minnesota State.
Mattias Sholl stopped 20 of 25 shots in net for the Beaverss (14-18, 12-12 CCHA). Dryden McKay finished 25-for-26 for the Mavericks.
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BSU will close the regular season next weekend, hosting St. Thomas at the Sanford Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, and 6:07 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.
