Beavers begin 2024 Mason Cup Playoffs by hosting Ferris State for best-of-three series
BSU Men’s Hockey hosts Ferris State for quarterfinals of CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs
For the first time in seven years, the Bemidji State Men’s Hockey team was crowned conference regular season champions last weekend after finishing a top the league standings with 48 points and lifted the historic MacNaughton Cup for the second time in program history.
The Beavers finished the regular season with a 17-15-2 record and went a scorching 15-7-2 (.688) in CCHA play to finish nine-points in front of second place, University of St. Thomas.
The Beavers earned the most wins in conference play (15) since going 20-5-3 in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play in 2019-20.
The Beavers earned their seventh regular season conference championship in their Division I history and 24th in 68 seasons of existence.
As regular season champions, the Beavers earned home-ice advantage in the quarterfinals and throughout the rest of the Mason Cup Playoffs if they advance. The Beavers begin their quest to win the program’s first Mason Cup as playoff champions.
The last time BSU won the regular season championship and playoff championship was during its historic NCAA Frozen Four season (2008-09) where it won the CHA regular season and tournament championship.
The winner of the CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs earns the automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey National Tournament.
This marks the 34th season in which the Beavers qualified for postseason play.
The Beavers enter post season play as one of the hottest teams in Division I boasting a six-game winning streak. It is the second longest active streak only behind No. 1 Boston College’s eight-game winning streak.
The Beavers also boast an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1) which is tied with the Eagles (8-0-0) for longest unbeaten streak in DI.
The Beavers have not lost a game since Feb. 3 against Augustana (34 days).
Bemidji State also brings a four-game home winning streak into the playoffs where it will play its remaining games at home if it advances.
The Beavers went 12-6-0 (.667) at home during the regular season, second best home record in the CCHA and 18th in Division I. BSU’s 12 wins at home are tied for the sixth most in the nation.
The Beavers are set to begin their third run into the CCHA Playoffs having reached the championship game during the inaugural season in 2021-22.
This series will be the first meeting between the Beavers and Bulldogs in the CCHA postseason but the teams have met twice during the WCHA Playoffs.
The Beavers aim to perform better against the Bulldogs in postseason play as Ferris State has won all four meetings (4-0) between the teams in the postseason.
The Beavers and Bulldogs have not met in the playoffs since the 2014-15 season after FSU swept the Beavers in Bemidji in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs that included a 107-minute, three-overtime game in the game two.
The all-time series between the two teams has been pretty even throughout their histories but the Beavers hold a slight advantage over the Bulldogs with a 21-20-6 record after earning three wins during the regular season.
Bemidji State swept the Bulldogs in their last series on Feb. 15-16 earning a 3-2 overtime win and 4-1 victory in game two at Sanford Center.
However, FSU still holds the series edge when playing at Sanford Center with a 10-9-3 record on the road versus the Beavers.
This season, sophomore Lleyton Roed leads the Beavers with six points (3g-3a) in four games versus the Bulldogs.
20 of the Beavers’ 24 skaters have recorded a point versus the Bulldogs with nine recording two or more points.
Junior Mattias Sholl has started all four games in net against Ferris State. He is 3-1-0 with a 2.27 goals against average and .913 save percentage.
Over their careers, Roed also paces the Beavers with eight points (4g-4a) in eight career games versus Ferris State while sophomore Kirklan Irey follows with five points (3g-2a) in seven games including two game-winning goals.
In nine games, Sholl is 4-4-1 against FSU with a 2.27 goals against average and .908 save percentage.
23-year head coach Tom Serratore is 21-20-4 when coaching against the Bulldogs but 0-4 against Ferris State in postseason play.
For the fourth consecutive week, the Beavers have had someone represent BSU on the CCHA weekly award list with Jackson Jutting and Mitch Wolfe earning CCHA Forward and Defenseman honors after the Beavers’ sweep of Minnesota State. In total, 11 Beavers have earned a CCHA weekly award this season.
Bemidji State enters the postseason as the second-highest scoring team in the CCHA averaging 3.03 goals per game (103). Its 82 goals in conference play are the most by any league team.
The Beavers are sixth in the CCHA allowing 3.06 goals per game (104). However, their 64 goals allowed in conference play are the fourth fewest in the league.
BSU is the most efficient scoring team in the conference scoring 103 goals on 963 shots scoring on 10.7 percent of its shots.
The Beavers’ strength has been five-on-five this season and are second in the league with a 51.6 even strength goals for percentage, 27th in DI.
The Beavers have also sold out in the defensive zone blocking the most shots in the CCHA and are fifth in Division I (519).
Bemidji State makes its return to both national polls and are receiving votes in both the USA Hockey/The Rink Live and USCHO.com Top-20 National Polls.
Bemidji State is led by Hobey Baker Award nominee Lleyton Roed who has posted 28 points (14g-14g) in 34 games.
Roed is sixth in the CCHA in points, t-fourth in goals and t-20th in assists. His nine power-play points paces the team and his five power-play goals are tied for the sixth most in the CCHA.
In just two seasons with the Beavers, Roed has compiled 59 career points (27g-32a) and his 0.84 point per game average is fifth among Beavers that played in the DI era (Matt Read-0.97, Luke Erickson-0.97, Andrew Murray-0.90, Owen Sillinger-0.86). He is followed by fifth-year senior and captain Kyle Looft who has 24 points (6g-18a) in 28 games despite missing six games due to injury.
Looft is second among league defensemen in points but leads CCHA defensemen with a 0.86 point per game average.
Looft is second in the league with a +14 rating (Mitch Wolfe leads at +15) and is t-seventh having blocked 48 shots.
Senior Eric Martin is right behind with 23 points (6g-17a), a career-high.
Roed, Looft, Martin, Carter Jones (21 points) and Jackson Jutting (20 points) have all recorded 20 or more points this season.
Jutting follows Roed for the team lead in goals and has 10 goals in 23 games for a .43 goals per game average, fifth-best in the CCHA.
Since returning from injury on Feb. 2, Jutting has 10 points (4g-6a) in 10 games.
The Beavers boast its depth this season and have 12 skaters who have reached double-digits in points.
The Beavers have been able to roll all four lines and head coach Tom Serratore has had the same forward group over the last six games.
All four lines are averaging over a point-per-game over the last six games with its fourth line of Rhys Chiddenton, Jake McLean and Donte Lawson leading the charge averaging 2.50 ppg (4g-11a).
McLean and sophomore Mitch Wolfe have consistently found the scoresheet over the last five games each entering the weekend with a five-game point streak.
Wolfe has six points (1g-5a) over the last five games while McLean has five points (1g-4a) over the stretch.
Wolfe earned his first collegiate CCHA weekly nod after posting three points (1g-2a) against the Mavericks and scored his first collegiate goal.
Freshman Rhys Chiddenton has seven points (1g-6a) over the last five games including three two-point efforts.
Mattias Sholl has started 17 of the last 18 games in between the pipes and is 10-5-2 with a 2.51 GAA and .907 save percentage during that span.
Over the Beavers’ eight-game unbeaten streak, Sholl is 6-0-1 with a 1.96 GAA and .922 save percentage. The Hermosa Beach, Calif., native is 11-7-2 on the season with a 2.66 GAA and .907 save percentage and in league games only, boasts a 2.03 GAA and .924 save percentage.
The Beavers have allowed two or less goals in five of the last six games.
Bemidji State is 12-1-1 when allowing two or fewer goals this season.
BSU continues to pace the nation averaging just 7:19 penalty minutes per game.
2023-24 is the 68th season of Bemidji State Men’s Hockey and 25th in Division I. The Beavers are 1,188-699-152 (.620) in 67 seasons and 402-405-104 (.496) in Division I.