1st Place BSU Men’s Hockey Has Toughest Stretch Ahead

Bemidji State men’s college hockey only has four games left in the regular season, and they enter their final two conference series atop the CCHA standings.

It’s a razor-thin margin though, as the Beavers hold just a two-point lead over three teams currently tied for second place, two of which they will play over the final two weeks. Those are St. Thomas, whom the Beavers will play on the road this weekend, and rival Minnesota State, whom BSU will host to finish things off.

The Beavs got here by putting together back-to-back five-point weekends, vaulting themselves from fourth to first and taking control of their own destiny down the stretch.

“Yeah, I think we’ve been playing pretty good hockey right now. We put ourselves in a really good position and this weekend’s really going to be huge, I think we need six points, without a doubt, and it’s not going to be easy for sure,” said junior forward Jere Vaisanen. “I think St. Thomas playing really well and they’re a really good hockey team, so it’s going to take everything we got this weekend.”

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing a different team than maybe the first time when we we swept them here,” added freshman forward Jake McLean. “But they’ve had a pretty good year, they’ve had some sustained success. So it’s going to be by far the biggest weekend of the year and should be a really good test for our group.”

“I just take a look at our home makeup over the course of the last month,” said head coach Tom Serratore. “It’s been pretty good. I like the mindset that our players have. I like how we’re playing. I like the sacrifice in our team. And I think once you start having some success and you recognize exactly what we’ve been talking about when they see that success, I think it’s easy to carry that over.”

Heading into Friday’s games, Bemidji State is on top of the CCHA standings with 37 points, but just behind are Minnesota State, St. Thomas, and Bowling Green all tied with 35. It’s a tight race at the top not just for the regular season title, but for a home game in the first round of the conference playoffs.