A pair of third period goals in 1:41 broke a 2-2 tie and propelled the Bemidji State men's hockey team to a 5-2 win over Robert Morris University Saturday in Pittsburgh.
The Beavers (19-7-2, 11-3-0 CHA) took a 2-0 lead, only to see the home team with goals late in the second and early in the third. But the Beavers wouldn't be denied in this one, scoring a pair of unanswered goals quickly by Ryan Cramer and Jamie MacQueen to regain a two goal lead and put the game away.
"It was a gritty win for us," said Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore. "We started out playing pretty and then let them back in a bit when we didn't take care of the puck. But the guys showed their resiliency and played well after that."
The Beavers, who were snake bit and had difficulty scoring Friday despite 45 shots and 23 grade A scoring opportunities, struck for the first two goals Saturday.
Tyler Lehrke gave the Beavers a key 1-0 lead when he connected off feeds from Chris McKelvie and Jamie MacQueen at 16:13 of the first period. That was all the scoring for the first 20 minutes that saw the Beavers hold a narrow 10-7 shot advantage.
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Bemidji State wasted little time making it 2-0 in the second, connecting for a power play goal less than two minutes into the period. With the Beavers on the power play for 1:55 to start the second, Ben Kinne scored on a rocket snap shot from the high slot past RMU goalie Brooks Ostergard at 1:52.
The score remained the same until the final seconds of the period. The Colonials (9-15-5) made it a 2-1 game with eight seconds remaining in the period as Scott Kobialko connected off an assist from Nathan Longpre.
Robert Morris got back into the game and tied it up with a goal at 5:55 of the third from Zach Hervato. But after that it was all Bemidji State.
Junior forward Ryan Cramer connected on a long backhand shot from the mid-slot at 8:55 as the Beavers retook the lead. Jamie MacQueen then all but put the game away 1:41 later as he connected on a one-timer from the high slot with the Beavers on the power play.
Lehrke then got his second of the night, this one an empty netter coming at 18:43. Lehrke ended the game with four points on two goals and two assists.
"Lehrke's a stud," said Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore. "He's been a stud all season. Every year we have seniors who step up. I can't say enough about how Lehrke and (Chris) McKelvie have anchored that second line all year."
The Beavers changed goalies for the game with freshman Mathieu Dugas getting the start and earning the win. "It was a tough outing for him," Serratore reported. "We threw him into a must win game and he came through."
Dugas ended with 26 saves on 28 RMU to earn the win and improve his record to 4-2-0 on the year. Ostergard ended with 19 saves on 23 BSU shots.
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The win left the Beavers one point away from clinching the College Hockey America regular season crown. Bemidji State can clinch the title with a win at home against Niagara next weekend.
The Niagara series will be the home season finale for the Beavers, along with being the last BSU men's hockey games ever to be played at the John Glas Fieldhouse.
