BSU Men’s Hockey Opens Season with 3,000-Mile Road Trip to Anchorage, Alaska

Alaska, also known as the “Last Frontier” and the “Land of the Midnight Sun,” is where BSU men’s hockey will begin their season tomorrow. Bemidji State kicks off their 2025-26 campaign north of the 60th parallel against the University of Alaska at Anchorage.

It’s the Beavers’ longest road trip of the season at nearly 3,000 miles, and it’s across three time zones, which means the 7 p.m. local puck drop is the equivalent of a 10 p.m. start here in Minnesota. It’s pretty late to be starting any sporting event, but not something the Beavs are too concerned about.

“I have never really worried too much about it, and I don’t think the guys do, either,” said head coach Tom Serratore. “Do you get acclimated to the time change? Probably not, because you’re going to get up awful early. At the end of the day, what we’re going to see on Friday night, we’re going to see a tired bunch of guys. That’s why it’s important that we manage the bench properly. We go short shifts, we roll four lines. We do all those things to make sure that we have got good jam, we got good energy.”

“It’s exciting. We got a brand new group of guys, tons of new face[s] in there, but a lot returners. But it’s been a good start to the season [in practice], and the boys are pumped,” said senior forward Reilly Funk.” We’ve been hitting some little areas that we know and some triggers that we know we have to focus on. But when it comes down to it, first weekend, we’re good hockey players. Trust that we can make the plays, make it happen, and just go play hockey.”

This will be the Beavers’ first meeting with the Seawolves since February of 2020, when they were still both in the WCHA. Saturday’s game will start one hour earlier than Friday’s match at 9 p.m. CDT.