The Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team opens the 2014 calendar year with a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at Sanford Center this weekend versus Northern Michigan University.
BSU leaves a six-game (0-4-2) winless streak in the rearview mirror as it seeks its first victory since Nov. 23. In its last action, Bemidji State got a pair of third period goals from Matt Prapavessis to push Alaska to overtime before settling for a 3-3 draw Dec. 13. The following evening, the Nanooks exploded for five goals, including a pair of power-play markers, in a 5-1 victory over the Beavers.
With a goal and two assists in that series, and nine points (6g-3a) in BSU’s last eight games, Cory Ward has taken hold of the team’s scoring lead with a career-high 16 points and a team-best 12 goals. Markus Gerbrandt (9g-5a) and Danny Mattson (3g-11a) share second place with 14 points, while Mattson and Graeme McCormack are tied for BSU’s top assist honors with 11. Ruslan Pedan has been BSU’s top power-play threat, recording a team-high seven (3g-4a) of his eight points on the man advantage this season. Freshman netminder Jesse Wilkins has started three of BSU’s last four games and is 0-0-3 on the season with a 2.16 goals against average and a .936 save percentage.
The Wildcats open the series looking to correct a six-game winless streak of their own. Winless since Nov. 23 (0-5-1), NMU has lost its last four games, which includes 4-1 and 3-1 setbacks at University of North Dakota Dec. 13-14.
Northern Michigan is largely fueled by its veterans, as seven of its top scoring players are upperclassmen. Senior forward Stephan Vigier paces all Wildcat players with 15 points and a team-high 10 goals. Junior blueliner, Mitch Jones has 10 points to sit tied for third on the team in scoring, while his 10 assists is tops among his teammates. Freshman Mathias Dahlstrom has shouldered the bulk of NMU’s goaltending duties this season, posting a 5-8-2 record in 16 appearances. He has allowed goals at a 2.25 clip and owns a .925 save percentage.

The Rivalry
Despite combining for over 3,100 games and 1,700 victories dating back to the 1940s, the Beavers and Wildcats have gone head-to-head on just four occasions. Bemidji State owns a 2-1-1 record in the all-time series with NMU after trading shutout victories in a November 2010 series at Sanford Center. Bemidji State dropped the nonconference series opener 4-0 before bouncing back with a 3-0 shutout victory thanks to a 17-save effort from Dan Bakkala and two-point games from Ian Lowe and Emil Billberg. BSU is 1-1-0 all-time when hosting the Wildcats.

The Coaches
Tom Serratore (Bemidji State ‘86) is in his 13th season as BSU’s head coach and has an overall record of 206-195-55 (.512). Serratore’s teams have won CHA regular-season championships five times since 2003-04 and made trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, with a 2009 appearance in the Frozen Four. He is a five-time CHA Coach of the Year recipient and was Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year Runner-up in 2009.
In his 12th season at Northern Michigan, Walt Kyle has guided the Wildcats to a 214-196-51 record, which includes six 20-win seasons. A 1981 graduate of Northern Michigan, Kyle has coaching experience in the American Hockey League, International Hockey League and Western Hockey league, in addition to stints in the National Hockey League with New York and Anaheim.

Bemidji State notables
• The Bemidji State University men’s hockey team dropped its final WCHA series of the 2013 calendar year Dec. 13-14. After the Beavers battled back to gain a 3-3 tie versus Alaska Friday, the team stumbled 5-1 Saturday.

• BSU seeks to break a five-game winless stretch (0-2-4) this weekend versus Northern Michigan. BSU’s last win came versus Lake Superior State Nov. 23.

• Six of BSU’s last nine games have been extended to overtime. BSU is 1-1-6 in OT this season and is unbeaten in its last six overtime contests (1-0-5).

• Bemidji State played a program record, and at the time an NCAA record, 15 overtime contests in 2002-03 and finished that season with an all-time high eight ties. BSU also posted eight ties in 12 OT contests a year ago.

• Matt Prapavessis recorded his first collegiate multi-goal game Dec. 13 posting a pair of third period tallies. With 13 points (3g-10a) this season he has matched a career-high set in 2011-12 (1g-12a).

• Cory Ward posted a goal and an assist last Dec. 14 marking the sixth time in the last seven outings that he has recorded at least a point. Since Nov. 22, the sophomore has six goals and two assists.

• The Beavers’ penalty-kill unit snuffed out all five of Alaska’s power-play opportunities Dec. 13 and 8-of-10 Dec. 14. BSU has now killed its opponents’ last 25 of its last 28 man advantage opportunities dating back to Nov. 30 versus Miami.

• BSU has climbed to seventh in the nation in penalty-kill efficiency after killing 84-of-96 (.875) opponent power plays this season. BSU is second the WCHA at 61-of-69 (.884), which includes killing its last 28 of its last 30 opponent power-play opportunities.

• BSU has been forced to battle back from early deficits too often this season. BSU’s opponents have struck first in 11 of their last 13 games, which includes surrendering a goal in the first ten minutes of the first period in seven of those games. Bemidji State is 3-6-4 when its opponent scores first this season.

• BSU has scored 13 first period goals to its opponents’ 22, while it has been out scored 14-8 in the first period of WCHA play.

• When BSU leads after one period, it is unbeaten at 2-0-1, while it is without a win when trailing after the first (0-6-1).

• BSU was 1-for-13 on the man advantage in the series versus Alaska Dec. 13-14 bringing it to 15-of-86 (.174) on the season. The Beavers are 11-for-62 (.177) in WCHA play to sit fifth.

• No BSU player has had more success at Sanford Center in 2013-14 than Matt Prapavessis. The junior has accounted for 11 (3g-8a) of his 13 points (3g-10a) in 12 home games, including a team-high eight helpers.

• Cory Ward extended his career-high goal scoring total to 12 Dec. 13, marking the first time a BSU player has logged more than 11 goals in a season since Jordan George netted 19 in 2011-12.

• John Parker (So., F) joins the BSU roster for the second semester. The native of Green Brook, N.J. spent the 2011-12 season with Maine, where he logged seven points (3g-4a) in 33 games for the Black Bears.

• This season BSU has averaged in excess of a goal more on Friday than it has in Saturday games. It has netted 34 goals Friday to 22 on Saturday. That works out to an average of 3.40 per Friday contest and 2.20 goals per game Saturday.

• With nine goals in 14 WCHA games, Cory Ward currently tied with Scott Allen of Alaska-Anchorage for the league lead.

• Graeme McCormack’s logged an assist in each game of the series versus UA to put him in a tie for the league’s lead with nine helpers in WCHA play. His 10 points (1-g-9a) in league play place him second among WCHA defenders.

• BSU has averaged 2.93 goals per game in league play this season to rank third behind Ferris State (3.92) and Minnesota State (3.25).

• BSU is 3-6-3 at home this season and is 1-4-1 when it plays at home on Saturday. BSU’s last win at Sanford Center was Nov. 23 versus Lake Superior State (2-1).

• In a series that got its start in 2009-10, Bemidji State holds a 2-1-1 edge in the all-time rivalry versus Northern Michigan. The Beavers are 1-1-0 when hosting the Wildcats in Bemidji.

• BSU’s last meeting with Northern Michigan came Nov. 26-27, 2010. The teams traded shutout victories to split the series with BSU dropping the opener 4-0 before picking up a 3-0 win in the finale. Only three current BSU players have any experience versus NMU (Radoslav Illo, Jeff Jubinville and Sam Rendle). None of them have a single point versus NMU.

• Three of the four prior meetings between the NMU and BSU have been decided via shutout. BSU is 2-1-0 in those games.