BEMIDJI 鈥� Gavin Enright hadn鈥檛 played for the Bemidji State men鈥檚 hockey team since Dec. 9.
The senior goaltender primarily backs up junior Mattias Sholl. When Sholl returned from a lower-body injury in the Beavers鈥� series against Bowling Green on Dec. 14, it was unclear if Enright would play another game. Given how competitive the CCHA was during the 2023-24 season, the net belonged to Sholl.
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That was until Bemidji State clinched the MacNaughton Cup one night earlier than expected.
After Friday鈥檚 6-0 win over Minnesota State, the Beavers entered Senior Night on Saturday with nothing to play for but their five fourth-year players and a sweep of an in-state rival. It opened the door for Enright to get one more start.
鈥淚 had a weird feeling today, and I didn鈥檛 know what it was,鈥� Enright said. 鈥淚t was definitely special, something you see in fairytales. To end the regular season like this, in a series like this, it鈥檚 very special.鈥�
Enright capped his storybook evening with a 22-save shutout. Bemidji State blanked the Mavericks 2-0. It鈥檚 the first time in program history the Beavers held MSU scoreless on back-to-back nights in 147 games between the two teams.
鈥淕avin saw the puck so well tonight,鈥� head coach Tom Serratore said. 鈥淭here weren鈥檛 a lot of second-chance opportunities, and it鈥檚 a testament to our defensemen and our reloading from everybody. It鈥檚 a collective effort, but it鈥檚 nice to see Gavin get the goose egg tonight.鈥�
One goal was all he needed.
Mitch Wolfe buried his first career goal midway through the second period on a seeing-eye pass across the slot from Jake McLean. Kasper Magnussen provided some insurance with an empty-net goal with 33 seconds left.
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鈥淪coring first was big,鈥� Serratore said. 鈥淚 thought we did a lot of good things well. Probably the biggest thing was I like our defensive habits. There weren鈥檛 a lot of second-chance opportunities. We reloaded well. We relieved pressure when we needed to relieve pressure. Most importantly, we broke the puck out well.鈥�
Enright鈥檚 22 saves came after a traditional Senior Night celebration. Each of the five players honored 鈥� Enright, Jackson Jutting, Eric Martin, Jack Powell and Austin Jouppi 鈥� gave flowers to their parents and relived their favorite hockey memories on the Sanford Center video board.
Enright鈥檚 name was called first. He greeted his loved ones as he put his hockey career in a new perspective.
鈥淪kating over to my parents and my girlfriend, it was surreal,鈥� Enright said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 understand the emotions you鈥檒l feel in that moment until you鈥檙e actually in the moment. Just skating up, hugging them all and realizing how much they鈥檝e put into me, it鈥檚 really cool, and it鈥檚 emotional.鈥�
Enright鈥檚 impact on the 2023-24 season was important, even as a backup goalie. He relieved Sholl after the second period in a 3-2 win over St. Thomas on Oct. 27. A night later, he recorded his first career shutout in a 2-0 win.
In league games Enright appeared in, the Beavers collected 14 points, including wins over St. Thomas, Minnesota State and Michigan Tech 鈥� all of which finished in the top half of the CCHA standings.
But on Saturday, Enright didn鈥檛 think of those games. Instead, he thought about the relationships he made with his classmates.
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鈥淐oming here four years ago not knowing these guys, you just look back and see how these guys became your best friends,鈥� Enright said. 鈥淭hey are guys that you鈥檙e going to see after hockey and meet up with. It鈥檚 really cool to experience Senior Night with them.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think about the past a lot. But when you think about how you鈥檝e been through so much and have so many memories, it鈥檚 a time to reflect on what we鈥檝e done here and the experiences we鈥檝e had.鈥�
Bemidji State 2, Minnesota State 0
MSU 0 0 0 鈥� 0
BSU 0 1 1 鈥� 2
First period 鈥� No scoring.
Second period 鈥� BSU GOAL: Wolfe (McLean, Lawson) 3:15.
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Third period 鈥� BSU GOAL: Magnussen (Pohlkamp, Wolfe) EN, 19:27.
Saves 鈥� Enright (BSU) 22; Rancir (MSU) 23.
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