Bemidji State hosts Northern Michigan toting six-game unbeaten streak

The Bemidji State University men’s hockey team will put its six-game unbeaten streak on the line this weekend as it welcomes Northern Michigan University to Sanford Center for a two-game WCHA series. The puck is set to drop at 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s series finale will take place at 6:07 p.m.

Friday will mark the first time the Beavers and Wildcats have met this season. The Wildcats come into the series winners of three of their last four games, while BSU, now ranked No. 17 in the latest USCHO.com poll, is 5-0-1 in its last six.

At 3-3-0 in WCHA play, NMU currently holds down fourth place in the WCHA standings and has a three-point advantage over the Beavers for the final home playoff position. After four league games this season, BSU is 2-1-1 an sits in fifth place.

Since BSU and NMU first met in 2009, BSU holds a convincing 15-6-6 edge in the series and has been nothing short of dominant since the 2015-16 season. In the last 15 meeting between the teams, BSU is 10-2-3 and has not dropped a game to the Wildcats at Sanford Center since March 4, 2017–a streak spanning five games (2-0-3).

Bemidji State improved to 7-4-3 overall and 2-1-1 in WCHA play Feb. 5-6. After a 3-3 tie and shootout loss to Ferris State Friday, BSU bounced back with a 7-2 victory Saturday to earn a series victory and extend its unbeaten streak to five versus FSU (4-0-1). Friday’s 3-3 draw snapped BSU’s four-game winning streak, but along with its win Saturday, extended its unbeaten streak to six games–It’s longest since an eight-game streak (7-0-1) from Jan. 25 to Feb. 28 last season.

Sophomore Brad Belisle netted his first collegiate goal Friday in his 13th appearance as a Beaver. That leaves him 48 goals behind his father, Omer Belisle, who racked up 49 goals and 82 assists in 123 games for BSU from 1999-95.

Alex Ierullo scored the Beavers’ first goal Friday. It was the 40th point of his career (16g-24a).

Aaron Myers netted his first collegiate goal late in a 7-2 victory Saturday. In six games he has one point (1g).

With five points Saturday, Owen Sillinger stands as the first Beaver to net four goals in a single game since Luke Erickson scored four Dec. 3, 2005 and the first to post five points in a game since Travis Winter (2g-3a) Jan. 6, 2007. Sillinger’s hat trick was the first by a BSU player since Charlie Combs, Dec. 7, 2018. Sillinger’s short-handed goal was BSU’s first of the season and first since Hampus Sjödahl recorded a shorty Nov. 1, 2019

This weekend BSU returns to Sanford Center to host Northern Michigan for the first time this season and the first time in nearly a calendar year (Feb. 14-15, 2020). BSU holds a convincing 15-6-6 edge in the all-time series dating back to 2009.

Listen to the games this weekend on 92.1 The River and online at beaverradionetwork.com.