BEMIDJI – There’s a recipe for beating Gophers.
Third-ranked Minnesota entered Saturday’s contest with a record of 10-1-0. Its only loss was in Las Vegas against Nebraska Omaha in the Ice Breaker Tournament championship.
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The Gophers outshot the Mavericks 54-18 that night in a 2-1 loss. Simon Latkoczy made 53 saves for UNO.
On Saturday, it was Mattias Sholl’s turn to play spoiler.
“He’s unreal, it’s self-explanatory,” junior forward Kirklan Irey said. “He kept us in the game the whole time, period by period. He just makes it look easy. … As a collective group, we believe in him.”
Sholl saw 39 shots and stopped 38 of them in a 3-1 win over the Gophers. He backstopped the Beavers’ first win over Minnesota since Jan. 30, 2016, and the program’s first win over a top-three team since Oct. 28, 2022.
“They’re one of the top teams in the country for a reason,” Sholl said. “You can see it in how they play. They’re a hard-working team. I’m kind of at a loss for words right now, to be honest with you. It was just a total effort from our guys tonight. The hard work, it’s paying off. We need that to carry over every single game.”
Two hours before the puck dropped, Hailey Armstrong scored 20 seconds into the game for the Bemidji State women’s hockey team against St. Thomas. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Irey needed an extra second, but he gave the Beavers a 1-0 lead. Irey sniped the top-right corner on a backhand shot 21 seconds into the contest.
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“It was huge,” Irey said. “It started with the first one. We were moving fast in their zone, creating turnovers. That’s what led to the success in the first 10 (minutes). … It’s a good confidence builder, but just playing the right way, doing things the right way and having good habits, that’s what leads to success.”
Irey wasn’t finished. He scored again midway through the first period to double the lead.
Irey’s first shot was saved by Liam Souliere, but an errant defensive zone pass by Mason Nevers gave him another chance.
Irey didn’t miss. He scored for the third time against the Gophers this series.
One game removed from being demoted to the extra skater in the lineup, Irey was put on the Beavers’ top line.
“He was rotating on Thursday, and he played well tonight,” head coach Tom Serratore said. “I’m happy for him, hopefully he keeps that going. It’s not necessarily the scoring. If you play honest, if you play the right way all the time – that’s for everybody – we can be a handful. If you turn pucks over, if you don’t play honest, life can get difficult. … I’m pumped up for Kirklan. With two goals tonight and one on Thursday, it’s good for any player.”
The Gophers had ample chances to get back into the game in the first two periods. They got a power play late in the first and peppered Sholl with four high-danger scoring chances.
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The U of M got two more chances on the man advantage in the second period. However, both were thwarted by the BSU penalty kill. Bemidji State successfully held Minnesota scoreless on three power plays.
“That’s a pretty darn good power play,” Serratore said. “It was nice to keep them off the board. The biggest thing is I’m glad we didn’t (take a penalty) in the third period. If you keep attacking and keep your stick on the ice, there’s a good chance you’re not taking a penalty. … Our guys had good habits.”
Despite holding the Gophers scoreless for two periods, the ice tilted in favor of the U of M in the second. Minnesota had an 11-4 edge in shots on goal. It also attempted 37 shots compared to just seven for the Beavers in the middle frame.
The Gophers finished the game with a 39-21 edge in shots on goal, with a 15-6 margin in the third period.
“Shollsy played very well,” Serratore said. “Minnesota had a lot of push in that third period. They had some great opportunities, but overall, we got out of a lot of difficult situations there with puck management, physicality and good sticks. We played well, and we earned that win.”
Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko pulled Souliere for an extra attacker with just under three minutes left, and Matthew Wood pulled the Gophers within one. Wood finally beat Sholl with 2:12 left in regulation.
Motzko pulled Souliere again in a push for the tying goal. The U of M held the offensive zone for nearly the entirety of the final 90 seconds, pinning Jackson Jutting, Donte Lawson, Austin Jouppi, Tony Follmer and Mitch Wolfe on the ice for an extended shift. Wolfe blocked a one-time shot on the back door off Jimmy Snuggerud’s stick to keep the game tied.
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“You have to have good defensemen on their flankers,” Serratore said. “We were tight, we were in the shot lanes. You saw Mitch Wolfe wear that one. He wore that one on Snuggerud, and that was a big block right there. … It was dicey, it was hairy at the end there, but that’s what makes these games fun.”
Lawson scored an empty-net goal with eight seconds left, which gave Sholl a chance to breathe again.
“I didn’t even take a sigh of relief, I think I yelled pretty loud,” Sholl quipped. “When I got back to my crease after getting really excited, I took a deep breath and dialed in for those last eight seconds.
“You build confidence when you see the guys in front of you sacrificing everything. It’s just a great feeling beating these guys. It was a team effort, sacrifice all over the place. It reminded me of last year when we were so successful. We were selling out every opportunity we could. That’s how teams win more than just regular-season championships. That’s how you win even bigger (championships).”
Saturday night marked the first Beavers’ first win at home over Minnesota in program history. It’s just the third time BSU has beaten the U of M.
“They’re the best team in college hockey,” Serratore said. “Denver could have something to say about it, or maybe Boston College. But I’m going to say they’re the best team in college hockey. It was nice having them in our building. I appreciate them coming to our building, and it was nice to beat them in our building for our fans.”
When Bemidji State returns to CCHA play next weekend against St. Thomas at the Sanford Center, Sholl is eyeing more consistency as the Beavers try to get back to a championship pedigree.
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“It’s the best 60 minutes I’ve seen from this team all year,” Sholl said. “It was huge, it was absolutely huge. … It’s just continuing to do the little things like puck management. Especially late in that game, nobody was thinking about anything else other than just getting a win. It was unbelievable.”
Bemidji State 3, No. 3 Minnesota 1
UM 0 0 1 – 1
BSU 2 0 1 – 3
First period – BSU GOAL: Irey (Magnuson) 0:21; Irey (Vaisanen, Martin) 9:44.
Second period – No scoring.
Third period – UM GOAL: Wood (Moore, Chesley) 17:48; BSU GOAL:
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Saves – Sholl (UM) 38; Souliere (UM) 18.
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