Beavers return to action with trip west for nonconference series at (nr/16) North Dakota
The Bemidji State University men’s hockey team is back in action this weekend as it travels west on Highway 2 for a nonconference series with North Dakota. The series will get underway form Ralph Engelstad Arena at 7:37 p.m. Friday with the series finale set for 7:07 p.m. Saturday.
The Bemidji State-North Dakota series stretches back to 1970. While UND dominated the first 40 years of play and holds a 31-4-6 advantage in the all-time series with BSU, 11 of the last 17 meetings have been decided by a goal or less. Moreover, the Beavers are 3-3-5 in those games, including a 2-1 victory in Bemijdi, Minn. Oct. 12 and a 1-1 tie in Grand Forks, N.D. Oct. 13 of last season.
Bemidji State split a non-conference weekend series with No. 7/8 St. Cloud State (T, 4-4 (OT) and T, 2-2 (OT)) to open its season, Oct. 11-12. BSU is 0-0-2 overall. The Beavers return from a bye week this weekend when they travel to Grand Forks, N.D. for a non-conference series with (16/NR) University of North Dakota.
In a series that dates back to 1970, North Dakota holds a 31-4-6 advantage over BSU. The Beavers are 2-10-2 when hosting UND, while they are 2-21-3 in Grand Forks, N.D., which includes a 1-1 tie at Ralph Engelstad Arena Oct. 13, 2018. Despite the win-loss differential, 11 of the last 17 meetings have been decided by one goal or less. BSU is 3-3-5 in those games.
Senior captain Adam Brady scored two goals in the team’s season-opening draw with SCSU to lead the Beavers. With 49 career points (18g-31a), he leads all current Beavers in scoring. After posting 12 points as a freshman, Ross Armour scored his first collegiate goal in the Beavers’ opener Oct. 11. He now has 13 points (1g-12a) in 40 games at BSU. One of BSU’s top assist men a year ago, Ross Armour’s 11 assists in league play had him ranked third among WCHA newcomers and tied for ninth in rookie scoring.
Bemidji, Minn. native Nick Leitner made a big collegiate debut. In front of friends and family, he capped a BSU third-period comeback, netting what would eventually be the game-typing goal.
BSU allowed just 19 power-play goals in 2018-19 and posted a .855 (112/131) penalty kill percentage. Since moving to the NCAA Division I level, BSU has never allowed fewer than 18 power-play goals in a season and has only once (2004-05/.868/190-of-219) finished with a penalty-kill percentage over .865. When BSU scored two or more goals last season and the first series of 2019-20, it is 15-7-7. When failing to log at least two goals, it is 0-9-1.