Bemidji State (8-10-4) at Bowling Green (11-7-3)
Trailing 1-0 after the first period in game one, the Beavers' leading scorer, Kirklan Irey, tied it up only 45 seconds into period two, scoring his ninth goal of the season. That 1-1 scoreline held into the final frame in what would be an exciting finish, with both teams tallying a quick goal to bring it to 2-2 by the 2:08 minute mark of the third.
The Falcons scored a go-ahead goal with 7:59 remaining, but the Beavers had a late response, with Adam Flammang making it 3-3 with only 44 seconds left on the clock. The game headed to overtime, where a nice cross-crease pass led to a Bowling Green winner.
For the second night in a row, the Beavers trailed 1-0 after one, but this time, Bemidji State fell further behind before making a comeback, with two additional Bowling Green goals making it 3-0 late in the second period. With 1:41 left in the second, the Beavers finally came alive. Kasper Magnussen scored a power-play goal to make it 3-1 before Jere Vaisanen made it 3-2 only 23 seconds later.
Trailing 4-2 with under three minutes remaining in regulation, Eric Martin scored to cut the deficit to one with 2:47 remaining before Jere Vaisanen completed the comeback, notching his second of the night with 57 seconds to go. In overtime, neither team claimed the winner, and the Beavers went on to win the shootout, banking two conference points in what looked to be a clear-cut loss late in the game. Goaltender Mattias Sholl brushed back both shootout attempts and ended the night with 37 saves.
Bemidji State will return home for two games at the Sanford Center against Northern Michigan, with puck drop at 7:07 PM on 1/17 and 6:07 PM on 1/18.
Adam Flammang, Bemidji State
No. 3 Minnesota (18-4-2) at No. 11 Ohio State (15-6-1)
It was a tale of two vastly different performances for the Gophers on their road trip to Columbus, Ohio. The team came out flat and trailed 1-0 after the first before the Buckeyes made it 2-0 early in the second period. To make matters worse, freshman Brodie Ziemer was called for a five-minute major 45 seconds into period three, and Ohio State capitalized, scoring two quick power play goals and ending Nathan Airey's night in net.
Midway through the third, defenseman Sam Rinzel continued his strong sophomore campaign by scoring his ninth goal of the season to bring it to 4-1, but the Gophers would go on to lose 5-1 in ugly fashion.
In game two, the Gophers completely reversed their Friday night performance and led 3-0 less than halfway through the first period. Mike Koster started things off on the power play before Mason Nevers and Connor Kurth added goals of their own. Minnesota's strong play did not wane in the middle frame as Mike Koster added his second goal of the night before Jimmy Snuggerud made it 5-0, with the squad going a perfect three-for-three on their first three power play opportunities.
Leading 6-0 late in regulation, an unfortunate penalty led to an Ohio State power-play goal, ending Liam Souliere's shutout bid with 2:15 left on the clock. With his 32-save performance in the 6-1 win, Souliere improved his record to 8-3-0 with two shutouts.
Sitting one point behind Big Ten leaders Michigan State in the standings, the Gophers will return home to face Notre Dame (7-14-1), starting at 7:00 PM on 1/17 and 5:00 PM on 1/18.
Sam Rinzel, Minnesota
Minnesota Duluth (8-11-1) vs. No. St. Cloud State (11-9-0)
With a 5-5 head-to-head record in their previous 10 matchups, the Bulldogs welcomed the Huskies to Amsoil Arena for the first conference battle for both squads in 2025. In his return to the lineup after the World Juniors, gold medal winner Max Plante opened the scoring with a late second-period tipped goal, his fourth of the season.
The Bulldogs carried that goal margin late into regulation when Owen Gallatin scored an empty netter en route to a 2-0 win. Freshman goaltender Klayton Knapp had a huge night in net in what was the Bulldogs' biggest win of the season thus far, making 28 saves in his first collegiate shutout.
In game two, the Bulldogs scored first via a power play goal from Jayson Shaugabay, with UMD carrying their 1-0 lead into the second. At seven minutes of the second period, Minnesota Duluth's other World Junior gold medalist, Adam Kleber, scored his first collegiate goal to bring it to 2-0, with Dominic James quickly making it 3-0 soon thereafter. St. Cloud State's Daimon Gardner responded only 12 seconds later to score the Huskies' first goal of the weekend, and Tyson Gross further chipped away at the Bulldogs' lead minutes later.
Leading 4-2 after two, junior Joey Pierce sealed the victory by scoring 4:36 into the third, which for a prolific scorer in high school, surprisingly marked his first collegiate goal 83 games into his college career. Klayton Knapp had a lesser workload in this one, making 20 saves in game two of the home sweep.
A showdown with Colorado College (10-9-1) ensues for the Bulldogs this weekend, with puck drop at 9:00 PM on 1/17 and 7:00 PM on 1/18. The Huskies will look to return to their earlier season form at home against No. 16 Arizona State (11-8-1) this weekend, starting at 7:30 PM on Friday and 6:00 PM on Saturday.
No. 12 Minnesota State (15-5-2) at Northern Michigan (2-19-1)
Entering the series at opposite ends of the spectrum with the Mavericks going 8-0-2 in their previous 10 and the Wildcats going 0-10-0, Minnesota State traveled to Northern Michigan expecting a sweep. In game one, the Mavericks doubled the Wildcat's shot count in the first period but trailed 1-0 after one.
A Will Hillman goal only 26 seconds into period two tied the game at 1-1, but Northern Michigan's Ryan Duguay scored his second goal of the game minutes later, and the Wildcats carried a 2-1 lead into the third. In the third, Duguay completed his hat trick with 11:54 remaining in regulation, and the Mavericks went on to lose 3-2.
In Saturday's rematch, the Mavericks came out with a vengeance and dominated period one, scoring on their first shot on net 5:02 into the period. Forward Brian Carrabes then lit the lamp to make it 2-0, and Josh Groll brought it to 3-0 only minutes later, leading to an early goaltender change for the Wildcats.
Leading 4-0 after one, Alexandria native Jakob Stender scored his second of the season only 38 seconds into period two to make it 5-0, and Minnesota State eventually skated to a smooth 6-1 victory. The Mavericks outshot Northern Michigan 32-22, with goaltender Alex Tracy earning his fifteenth win in net this season.
Remaining atop the CCHA standings, the Mavericks will return home to face the Michigan Tech Huskies (12-8-2) on 1/17 at 7:07 PM and 6:07 PM on 1/18.
Jakob Stender, Minnesota State
St. Thomas (8-10-4) vs. Ferris State (6-14-2)
In one of the weirder scorelines you will see, game one of the series was a 15-goal thriller that all four goaltenders who participated in would soon like to forget. The first nine goals were scored in the first period with Ryan O'Neill and Lucas Wahlin making it 2-0 before Ferris State responded. The teams traded punches to bring it to 3-2 with 10:33 remaining in the first before Cooper Gay and Liam Malmquist added goals to extend the Tommies' lead to 5-2.
Leading 6-3 (!) after the first, the game returned to normalcy, and the Bulldogs scored the lone goal in the middle frame to cut the score to 6-4. Things got interesting when Ferris State scored on a power play early in the third, but two quick goals followed from Luc Laylin and Jake Braccini to put the Tommies comfortably back in front 8-5. The final goal was an empty netter off the stick of Liam Malmquist, who completed the first hat trick of his collegiate career.
Ferris State opened the scoring 9:55 into the opening frame of game two, but Liam Malmquist stayed hot and tied it at 1-1 late in the period. The Bulldogs regained a goal advantage via a shorthanded goal midway through the second period; however, three minutes later, Cooper Gay scored his team-leading eleventh goal of the season to retie it.
In repeat fashion, St. Thomas allowed Ferris State to retake the lead early in the third period, with the Bulldogs holding onto their 3-2 advantage until Lucas Wahlin brought it to 3-3 with 4:46 left on the clock. The Tommies then took full advantage of a late power play to score a go-ahead goal and the eventual come-from-behind game-winner off a rip from Jake Braccini.
With back-to-back series sweeps, St. Thomas will look to make it three when the Tommies play Lake Superior State (9-12-1) on the road this weekend. Game one will start at 6:07 PM on Friday, with puck drop at 5:07 PM on Saturday.
Jake Braccini, Rogers