Men’s Hockey set for home-and-home series with No. 2 St. Cloud State

The Bemidji State University men’s hockey team pauses Central Collegiate Hockey Association play this weekend to face one of its in-state rivals from years past in No. 2 St. Cloud State University.

The Beavers and second-ranked Huskies will play a home-and-home series beginning Friday, Oct. 28 at Sanford Center and concluded Saturday at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Puck drop for game one at Sanford Center is scheduled for 7:07 p.m., while game two in St. Cloud will begin at 6:07 p.m.

The Bemidji State-St. Cloud State rivalry dates all the way back to 1948 with this year’s matchup being the 103rd and 104th meetings in the all-time series.

The series has been close throughout history but the Huskies hold a slight advantage with a 49-46-7 record in the all-time series.

However, in recent history St. Cloud State has had the better of the Beavers and is currently on an eight-game unbeaten streak versus BSU (6-0-2) beginning Jan. 31, 2016.

Bemidji State leads the all-time series in Bemidji with a 26-21-3 record while SCSU is 24-19-4 in St. Cloud.

Bemidji State and St. Cloud State last met a year ago for another home-and-home series to ring in the 2022 New Year. The Huskies got the better of the Beavers and earned a series sweep with victories of 4-1 in Bemidji and 5-2 in St. Cloud.

Fifth-year senior Ross Armous leads all active skaters with six career games against the Huskies and has one goal on four shots. He is followed by senior Will Zmolek with four games while junior Eric Martin and sophomore Jere Vaisanen each have one assist.

Goaltenders Gavin Enright and Mattias Sholl have each played one game against the Huskies with Sholl posting a .900 save percentage and 4.00 goals against average and Enright a .839 save percentage and 5.00 goals against average. Both are 0-1-0.

Bemidji State is now receiving votes in both the DCU/USCHO.com and USAToday/USAHockeyMagazine top-20 national polls after a two-week hiatus from the USAToday/USAHockeyMagazine poll.

St. Cloud State is the No. 2 team in both polls after sweep then ranked No. 2 Minnesota State University, Mankato this past weekend in St. Cloud.

Bemidji State is coming off a five-point weekend at Michigan Technological University last weekend and is now atop the CCHA standings with a 1-0-1 league record and are 2-1-1 overall.

The Beavers are led on offense by Canisius College fifth-year transfer Mitchell Martan who has posted six points off a team-high four goals and two assists. Martan also leads the CCHA with a 1.50 points per game average and is coming off a two point, two-goal weekend at Michigan Tech. He has scored a goal in three consecutive games after BSU was shutout in the season opener.

Martan is averaging a goal per game early into the 2022-23 season and leads the CCHA and is second in the nation with that average.

Martan is followed by junior Eric Martin who has totaled five points off two goals and three assists and is coming of his first career multi-goal game last weekend in game one against Michigan Tech.

Freshman Lleyton Roed burst onto the scene last weekend in the second series of his collegiate career. The White Bear Lake native scored his first collegiate goal Oct. 21 against MTU then later made it his first career multi-goal game and then made it his first career three-point night. He then scored the game’s first goal Saturday to cap-off a four-point weekend (3g-1a) and was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week for his performance.

Roed is tied for third on the Beavers in scoring with sophomore Jere Vaisanen who has one goal and three assists to tie for the team lead in assists.

Mattias Sholl has started three of the Beavers’ four games this season and is 1-1-1 with a 1.99 goals against average and .905 save percentage. He is third in the CCHA in GAA and fifth in save percentage.

Sholl stopped 40-of-44 shots in two games at Michigan Tech last weekend and was named the CCHA Goalie of the Week for the first time in his career.

Bemidji State is averaging 3.00 goals per game which is second in the CCHA and 23rd in Division I. The Beavers are allowing 2.75 goals per game for third in the conference.

Bemidji State ranks second in the CCHA with a 0.25 scoring margin.

Bemidji State has scored two power-play goals in 12 opportunities (.167) so far this season which stands sixth in the league.

The Beavers’ penalty kill has allowed four goals in 11 opportunities (.636) which is last in the CCHA.

Bemidji State is averaging 38.3 shots per game through four games this season which is fourth in Division I and leads the CCHA. It has out-shot its opponents 153-89.

The Beavers are second in Division I by winning 59.2 percent of their face-offs (145-245). Junior Jackson Jutting paces the team by winning 63.0 percent of his draws (46-73) while Ross Armour follows at 58.2 percent (57-98).

Senior blueliner Kyle Looft leads the Beaver defense with 13 blocked shots and is sixth in the CCHA. He is followed by senior Will Zmolek with 10.

Fifth-year senior Ross Armour will co-captain the team with senior defenseman Kyle Looft while senior Elias Rosén and senior Will Zmolek will serve as alternates.

Tom Serratore is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Bemidji State Men’s Hockey program and owns a 356-329-93 career record.