The Bemidji State University Men’s Hockey team pauses Central Collegiate Hockey Association play this week and prepares to face No. 3 University of Minnesota for a home-and-home series.

The Beavers (4-5-0, 3-3-0 CCHA) battle the Golden Gophers (9-1-0, 4-0-0 B1G) for the first time since 2019 in non-exhibition format. Minnesota hosts game one of the series Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:07 p.m., with game two back home at Sanford Center Saturday at 6:07 p.m.

The Beavers and Gophers take a break from conference play for a Minnesota rivalry series between the two teams.

The two teams have not faced each other in meaningful games since the 2019-20 season but have battled in exhibitions the past two seasons.

Beavers are 2-20-1 all-time against the Gophers with their pair of victories on Jan. 30, 2016 and Nov. 15, 2009. Both were in Minneapolis.

24-year head coach Tom Serratore is 2-18-1 when coaching against Minnesota.

Last season, the Beavers and Gophers opened the 2023-24 season with an exhibition at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Gophers earned a 5-2 victory.

Senior Jere Vaisanen scored short-handed for the Beavers in the loss while, senior Tony Follmer, Jackson Jutting and sophomore Noah Quinn each collected an assist.

BSU played all three netminders on the roster, each playing 20 minutes. Senior Mattias Sholl made four saves and didn’t allow a goal in the first period while sophomore Raythan Robbins played the final period and made 13-of-15 saves.

The Beavers and Gophers also met in an exhibition on Dec. 31, 2022 at Sanford Center with the Gophers earning a 2-1 victory.

Bemidji State is 4-5-0 through the first nine games of the season and unranked in both national polls while the Gophers are 9-1-0 and ranked No. 3 in both the USAHockey/The Rink Live and USCHO.com top-20 polls.

BSU is coming off a road trip to Sioux Falls, S.D., where they earned a series split against Augustana University.

Minnesota is riding the high of a Border Battle sweep over (RV) University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. The Gophers have won eight consecutive games.

Junior Reilly Funk led the Beavers in their series at Augustana with two goals. The Northern Michigan University transfer scored his first goal as a Beaver this past weekend and has posted four points through nine games.

Junior Vince Corcoran scored the overtime, game-winning goal in Friday’s overtime victory over the Vikings. He also added an assist in the game for his third career two-point effort and first of the season.

Senior Jere Vaisanen paces the Beavers with six points off four goals and two assists.

Vaisanen is tied with fifth-year senior and Niagara University transfer Carter Randklev for the team lead in goals (4).

Fifth-year senior and alternate captain Eric Martin is tied with fellow fifth-year senior Austin Jouppi and junior Kirklan Irey for the team lead with four assists.

Seven Beavers have posted four or more points through the first nine games of the season.

The Beavers are sixth in the CCHA standings with a .444 points percentage in conference play.

Bemidji State averages 2.33 goals per game, fifth in the CCHA while its 2.67 goals allowed per game also stands fifth.

The Beavers’ crease is led by CCHA Preseason Goaltender of the Year senior Mattias Sholl.

Sholl has played 96-percent of the team’s minutes in between the pipes this season starting all nine games.

He has posted a 3-5-0 record to go along with a 2.53 goals against average and .906 save percentage to rank fifth and ninth in the conference, respectively.

His two shutouts this season are tied for the most in the CCHA and one behind nationally leader Jacob Fowler from Boston College.

On special teams, the Beavers sit fourth in the CCHA with a power-play percentage of .174 (4-of-23).

Fifth-year senior and captain Jackson Jutting paces the team with two power-play goals, second most in the CCHA.

The Beavers also rank fourth in the CCHA on the penalty kill with a penalty-kill percentage of .818 (18-of-22). The Beavers went 5-for-6 on the penalty kill in their last series at Augustana.

Head coach Tom Serratore is approaching 400 career victories after collecting his 392nd career victory last Friday.

He seeks to become the 31st head coach in Division I Men’s Hockey to reach the 400-win milestone and the 12th active head coach.

Serratore is 392-365-99 in his 24 seasons as head coach of the Beavers and boasts a .516 career winning percentage.