BEMIDJI – Sometimes, the sport of hockey can reward you.
It’s a game where the cylindrical object intended to find a 24-square-foot net can bounce in your favor, giving you the desired outcome even if it’s undeserved.
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Other times, the breaks go against you.
Hockey is a sport that amplifies the lows when things don’t play out the way you want them to. That was Tom Serratore’s assessment of Saturday’s 3-1 loss against Ferris State.
Despite a vastly improved effort from the night before – one that resulted in a 5-1 loss – the Bemidji State head coach found himself making the slow walk to the Sanford Center media room to give his perspective on the Beavers’ seventh straight home game without a win.
One night after he gave his fiery and pointed analysis, Serratore chose a more complimentary route on Saturday.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Serratore said. “You know what? I wasn’t happy last night. You guys know it, you were here. (FSU) dictated terms with us last night. They earned that win, they were more physical than us, they imposed their will. Tonight, it was a great performance on our part. It’s tough to say that when we’re in a results-based business, but our guys did everything they had to do.”
Friday night’s ugly 5-1 loss spilled over into the first period. After the Beavers mishandled a puck behind the net, Ferris State took advantage.
Cole Burtch passed up on an open look from the slot and found Kaleb Ergang sitting on the back door in front of a yawning net to put the Bulldogs ahead 1-0 midway through the first period.
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Those aforementioned struggles, however, were thrown by the wayside after Kasper Magnussen scored his first even-strength goal this season.
Midway through the second period, defenseman Isa Prekh led a favorable transition through the neutral zone. He fed a 2-on-1 pass through an FSU defender to Magnussen, who finished off the sequence with the tying goal.
Magnussen’s previous three goals this season were all on the power play.
Much like Ferris State’s first goal, a defensive breakdown paved the way to take the lead.
Caden Gault got lost behind a slew of BSU defenders on the back door. Burtch fed him a one-time pass to put FSU ahead 2-1 six and a half minutes into the third frame.
“There was zero ice,” Serratore said. “That was a man’s game. You had to be tough to play in that game. I thought our guys willed their way through 60 minutes. That was a physical game, and it was a hard-nosed game. It was not easy. That team over there that beat us, I wouldn’t want to play them in the playoffs the way they’re playing right now.”
Gavin best added an empty-net goal with 31 seconds left.
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“Tough weekend,” Magnussen said. “We have to bounce back, that’s just how it is. Today, we played like we wanted to. They had a good goalie, he saved a lot of pucks. I think we played as a group, we played physical, our compete level was high. If we keep doing that, we’re going to turn it around.”
In the third period, Magnussen’s line – which included Jackson Jutting and Noah Quinn – had ample opportunities to tie the game. Ferris State goaltender Noah West made a handful of his 29 saves on Magnussen.
“I think we played good today as a line,” Magnussen said. “Personally, I have to put at least one more in the net. I got some huge chances. That’s on me, and next time I will score those.”
“West was good, give West credit, too,” Serratore said. “West stepped to the plate when he had to step to the plate.”
After Friday’s loss, Bemidji State made some lineup changes, most notably in goal. Sophomore Raythan Robbins made his first start this season over senior Mattias Sholl, who had previously started every game for BSU in its 2024-25 campaign.
Bemidji State allowed only 16 shots on goal.
“It doesn’t matter if Raythan is in the net, or Trent (Wiemken) is in the net, or Shollsy’s in the net, that’s the way it was going to be tonight defensively no matter what,” Serratore said.
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“We were physical, we broke the puck out hard, we defended hard. Our defensive corps might’ve had their best game of the year. There was a lot of good things right there. When I’m not happy, I’ll let people know. But I have no issues with this. I told the guys today that sometimes it’s about how you lose. How they lost tonight, (FSU) got one more bounce or made one more play.”
BSU sits alone in eighth place with just six league games left to play. For Magnussen, a sophomore-season slide down the CCHA table is a stark reality check after a triumphant rookie campaign.
“We know what we’re capable of as a team,” Magnussen said. “We just have to find what we had in those games we had last year and go from there. We know we can do it, we just have to put the pieces together. … We just have to go back to the basics. We have to work hard, compete and be physically hard to play against. If we do that, the energy will come from there. I think we have to keep it basic and work our asses off. That’s it.”
As for Serratore, he’s not trying to garner sympathy.
“There’s no next step, you just have to keep playing,” Serratore said. “Hopefully, they can bottle some of this play and continue it on.
“To sit here and say, ‘I’m having a ball, isn’t this fun?’ Hell no. This isn’t fun. Again, I’ve been here before. I’ve been on both sides of the coin. You have to support your guys. You have to push them, but you have to support them. You just have to keep fighting, keep competing. That’s all you can do.
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. The only people who feel sorry for us are our fans and alumni. Other than that, you just have to dig in. That’s all you can do is dig in. Easier said than done, but you have to support each other.”
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Ferris State 3, Bemidji State 1
FSU 1 0 2 – 3
BSU 0 1 0 – 1
First period – FSU GOAL: Ergang (Burtch, Gault) 13:57.
Second period – BSU GOAL: Magnussen (Parekh, Quinn) 7:39.
Third period – FSU GOAL: Gault (Burtch, Noel) 6:30; FSU GOAL: Best (Doell, Shoudy) ENG, 19:29.
Saves – Robbins (BSU) 13; West (FSU) 29.
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