BEMIDJI -- When the clock struck noon on Friday, the excitement was palpable at the Bemidji Town and Country Club’s North Shore Grille, where Bemidji State men’s hockey fans gathered for a watch party to cheer on their home team for making it to the NCAA Tournament.
Roughly 50 fans showed up to the country club to enjoy some food, have a few drinks, and, most importantly, watch the Beavers play the Wisconsin Badgers in Bridgeport, Conn.
BSU skated away with a 6-3 victory against the No. 1 Badgers, which means they are now only one win away from the Frozen Four. Friday’s game marked the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in its Division I era, and just the second such season with a win.
“We figured 10, maybe 20 people (would come to watch) but it’s all good,” said Jack Baker, Bemidji Town and Country Club’s new general manager.
“We’ve got a great turnout. I think this is the biggest turnout that we’ve had. A lot of the big Beaver supporters are here,” added Scott Hinners, a member of the club’s board of directors.
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With 13:27 to go in the first period, cheers erupted from the crowd as the Beavers’ Ross Armour scored the opening goal of the game. Fans then shifted into the Beavers’ fight song, which they made a habit of singing each time the team scored.
Almost through the first period, one fan walked in and said, “Good score, eh?”
“As long as (the score) stays something-nothing,” Baker said. “I don’t care how much ‘the something’ is as long as it stays a goose egg on the other end.”
While BSU went into the tournament as the underdog against Wisconsin, fans at the watch party held strong and voiced confidence in the Beavers.
“I think this is the second time they’ve been there, and it’s a way better team,” Hinners said. “This year we have three really strong lines and we can give it to anybody.”
The Beavers have made 31 national tournament appearances all-time going back to 1967-68. This 2021 tournament marks the second time Bemidji State has received an at-large bid to the tournament, along with 2010.
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Hinners said that in an average year, he can be found at almost every Beaver hockey game. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he hasn’t been able to attend games in person this year.
Also in attendance was life-long Beavers fan Paul Friesen, who gathered with friends and ate lunch while watching the tournament. Like Hinners, he said he would have attended games had COVID not prevented it.
However, Friesen said the watch party has been a great opportunity for fans to come together as a community and show their support.
“It’s the only Division I sport we have in Bemidji, and it’s the biggest thing in the area. It’s as simple as that,” Friesen said. “I think it’s a great deal for the whole town, and it’s the buzz of the town. (We’re all) behind the Beavs.”
By the end of the second period -- with the Beavers up 4-1 -- it was obvious that fans were even more confident that the Beavers would hold on in the third period. They would go on to score two additional goals in the game.
So when the seconds on the clock winded down in the last period -- and it was clear the Beavers had a hold over the Badgers -- deafening hoots and hollers, applause and high-pitched whistles rang out through the country club as fans celebrated the victory of their team.
“They came out really strong, and we’ve had a really strong season this year,” said Beaver fan Shelly Geerdes. “We knew that they had it in them.”
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BSU will play the winner of second-seeded Massachusetts and third-seeded Lake Superior State in the East Regional final at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 27. The Minutemen and Lakers meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
