The Beavers will be back in action with their first Western Collegiate Hockey Association contests since last February. They’ll face staunch opposition when they take on Bowling Green, ranked No. 6 and No. 7 in the national polls, in a road battle Thursday, Jan. 7, and Friday, Jan. 8. Both games are slated for 6:07 p.m.
“It’s been a while, and we’ve all been waiting for this,” senior forward Brendan Harris said of opening conference play. “This is where the show happens. We’re really excited about this and to get things started in league play.”
The rest of the WCHA got a head start on league play while BSU (2-3-2) was playing a couple of nonconference matchups at Lake Superior State this past weekend, including a 4-1 win and a 2-2 tie.
BGSU (11-1-0) began the New Year by extending its win streak to eight with a road sweep of Ferris State.
The Falcons’ hot start to the season is a continuation of where they ended 2019-20. Bowling Green is a remarkable 19-1-2 in their last 22 games since getting swept in Bemidji last winter, the most recent meeting between the teams. The schools were due to square off in the WCHA semifinals last March before the series was canceled by the pandemic.
“The team we’re playing is the hottest team in the country actually since our series last year,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore said. “They’ve been the hottest team in college hockey since Feb. 1 of last year.”
No WCHA team has played more games this season than the Falcons, whose lone loss in the last 11 months came 2-1 against Mercyhurst on Dec. 5. As one of the only teams in college hockey playing true nonconference games this season, BGSU has wins against Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, and most notably then-No. 11 Quinnipiac.
There’s no lack of depth to Bowling Green. Brandon Kruse and Cameron Wright lead the WCHA with 15 points, and teammate Connor Ford is right behind them with 14.
“I know they’re kind of streaking right now,” Harris said. “They’re playing really good hockey. We’ve just got to take it one shift at a time this weekend.”
The BSU power play had plenty of opportunities last weekend at LSSU -- 13 to be exact -- but were unable to find the back of the net. Harris’s game-winner Saturday arrived only five seconds after a power play expired, but the team officially remains 1-for-24 on the season.
“One power-play goal in (seven) games doesn’t cut it,” Serratore said. “You add one more power-play goal or two more, we might have two more wins. That’s how tight games are and how critical your special teams play is.
“Guys get it. They understand it. They’re trying to score. We’re moving the puck around pretty good, but at the end of the day, we’re in a results-based business.”
Bemidji State senior Brendan Harris (21) battles for the puck in Sunday’s game against Michigan Tech at the Sanford Center. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)
Harris not only provided the winning goal in Saturday’s victory, but also added an empty-netter and the first goal of Sunday’s tie.
The senior missed 26 games in 2019-20 after breaking his fibula (lower-leg bone) in the team’s second game of the season before returning for the final nine games.
Now, he’s making up for the lost time. Harris’s weekend propelled him into the team lead in points (6) and goals (4).
“I had to get plates, and there were eight screws and a cable,” he said of his injury. “I really messed up my leg there. But everything is going really well. The rehab was amazing. I feel strong with it. I feel like I haven't really lost a step.”
At a glance
Who: BSU at Bowling Green
Where: Bowling Green, Ohio
When: 6:07 p.m. Thursday & Friday
Radio: Beaver Radio Network/92.1 FM
Web stream: FloHockey.tv
The Link LonkJanuary 06, 2021 at 08:00PM
https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/hockey/6828542-MEN%E2%80%99S-HOCKEY-Beavers-open-league-play-at-red-hot-Bowling-Green
MEN'S HOCKEY: Beavers open league play at red-hot Bowling Green - Bemidji Pioneer
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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