Bemidji State (9-13-4) at St. Thomas (10-11-5)
The intrastate showdown series opened on Hockey Day Minnesota with St. Thomas's Ryan O'Neill starting off the scoring 2:04 into the game, but Jackson Jutting answered for the Beavers to make it all square at 1-1 after one. A similar scoring sequence occurred in period two, with Jake Braccini bringing it to 2-1 St. Thomas only 1:29 into the period, with Jackson Jutting scoring his second of the night to tie it again midway through the second.
That 2-2 scoreline remained until the closing minutes of regulation when Matthew Gleason tipped one home to put the Tommies back in front for good, with the home team winning game one 3-2. Fitting for Hockey Day Minnesota, all four goal scorers in the game are Minnesota natives.
Bemidji State took their first lead of the weekend off a first-period slap shot from Norway's Kasper Magnussen. The Beavers' one-goal advantage held for the next 40 minutes before Rogers graduate Chase Cheslock finally put the Tommies on the board, scoring his first goal of the season with 9:49 remaining in regulation.
The 1-1 tie held for only a short 44 seconds before Eric Martin put Bemidji State back in front, and the Beavers went on to split the series with a 2-1 win. It was a big win for the Beavers, who had only won one regulation in their previous 10 matchups.
Bemidji State will return home to battle Ferris State, with puck drop at 7:07 PM on 1/31 and 6:07 PM on 2/1. The Tommies will face the No. 1 ranked team in the CCHA, Minnesota State, with game one on Friday on the road and game two back home.
Jackson Jutting, Bemidji State
No. 3 Minnesota (19-6-3) at No. 2 Michigan State (20-3-3)
Hopefully, Coach Motzko had one of his three trash can-kicking games remaining for game one of the series against the Spartans, as the Gopher squad deserved it after suffering a 9-3 defeat. Trailing 1-0 to start the second period, Oliver Moore quickly tied it up only seconds into period two, and Brodie Ziemer sniped one home later in the period to make it 2-2, but then the wheels fell off.
Michigan State went on to score three goals in quick succession to end Nathan Airey's night in net, with the Gophers trailing 5-3 at the break. In the third, Minnesota mustered only six shots on net while the Spartans added four goals on their way to the 9-3 rout. Isaac Howard had a three-point third period, and Rosemount's Charlie Stramel tallied a goal and an assist in the game, bringing his points total this season to 23.
Game two of the series saw a return to form for the Gophers; however, for the second night running, the team trailed 1-0 after one. Six minutes into period two, Minnesota tied it at 1-1 via a goal from leading-scorer Jimmy Snuggerud, and he scored again just over four minutes later to retie the game at 2-2. The Gophers fell behind once more, but with only 15 seconds left in the period, Luke Mittelstadt tallied his second goal of the season to make it 3-3 heading into the third.
A goalless third period ensued, and neither team found a winner in overtime, with Minnesota unsurprisingly losing the shootout. Jimmy Snuggerud factored in on four of Minnesota's six goals in the series, and he has now tallied at least one point in 22 of 28 games this season.
Remaining in the No. 3 spot in the Pairwise, Minnesota will return home to play a border battle series against No. 16 Wisconsin (11-12-3), with game one starting at 7:00 PM on 1/31 and 5:00 PM on 2/1.
Charlie Stramel, Michigan State
Minnesota Duluth (10-13-1) vs. No. 7 Denver (18-6-0)
Period one opened with the Bulldogs getting outshot 16-8 in the first, but a late-period power play goal from Aaron Pionk led to a 1-0 lead at the break. Denver tied it early in the second, but the Bulldogs regained their lead later in the period, with Max Plante staying hot and making it 2-1 before Kyle Bettens extended Minnesota Duluth's lead to 3-1 heading into the third.
Leading 4-1 at the midway point of the third, Burnsville native Jared Wright clawed one back for Denver, and Jack Devine made it 4-3 shortly thereafter, but the Bulldogs held on for a massive 4-3 win. Goaltender Klayton Knapp had potentially his best night ever in net, making a career-high 42 saves.
In game two, the Pioneers broke the deadlock with 44 seconds remaining in the first period, with Samu Salminen scoring on a rebound off a shot from Eric Pohlkamp. Denver's Carter King doubled the Pioneers lead 3:09 into period two, but defenseman Owen Gallatin responded later in the period to cut the deficit to one heading into the third.
The Bulldogs were unable to get another puck past goaltender Matt Davis en route to a 2-1 loss, but Coach Sandelin had to have been happy with the team's weekend performance against a very tough opponent.
Next, UMD will have an off weekend before making a trip down to Nebraska to face the Omaha Mavericks, with both games on 2/7 and 2/8 starting at 7:07 PM.
Owen Gallatin, Minnesota Duluth
No. 17 Minnesota State (17-7-2) at Ferris State (8-16-2)
Winning their last seven games against Ferris State, period one of game one saw the Mavericks have several high-end scoring opportunities, but the team trailed 1-0 after one. Both goaltenders had a perfect second period, and the 1-0 scoreline held until the waning minutes of regulation when the Bulldogs doubled their lead before going on to win 2-0. Minnesota State's Alex Tracy made 38 saves in net, but he was slightly outdone by Ferris State's Noah West, who earned a 38-save shutout.
Trailing 2-0 early in the first period, the Mavericks finally beat Noah West with a goal from Adam Eisele (Lake Elmo) before Kaden Bohlsen (Willmar) made it 2-2 minutes later. The Mavericks took their first lead of the series 7:32 into period two and never looked back, with Ralfs Bergmanis claiming the game-winner by making it 3-2.
Leading 4-2 to start the final frame, Minnesota State poured it on by adding three additional goals in the third for a straightforward 7-2 win. Rhett Pitlick added a goal and an assist in the series to remain the team's leading scorer with 25 points in 26 games.
Following the split will be a home-and-home series against St. Thomas, with puck drop in Mankato at 7:07 PM on Friday and 6:07 PM on Saturday in Mendota Heights.
Rhett Pitlick, Minnesota State
St. Cloud State (11-13-0) at Omaha (14-10-0)
Entering the weekend on a four-game losing streak, the Huskies' tough run of form continued in Baxter Arena against the Omaha Mavericks. Deadlocked at zero after one in game one, a four-goal second period ensued in which St. Cloud State responded two times to make it 2-2 heading into the final frame.
The Huskies took their first lead of the game 3:25 into period three via Grant Ahcan's fifth goal of the season, but the game unraveled for St. Cloud State from that point forward. Three minutes after taking the lead, the Mavericks retied the game on a power play goal before scoring four unanswered goals in a 6-3 win. St. Cloud State's goaltender Gavin Enright had 26 stops in net in the loss.
Albeit lower scoring, game two was similar to the night prior, with a scoreless first period and the game ending with, unfortunately, another loss for the Huskies. Omaha took a 1-0 lead 1:30 into the second before sophomore forward Jack Reimann (Ham Lake) scored his first goal of the season midway through the period to make it 1-1.
The game remained tied for only a few minutes before Omaha retook a one-goal lead, which the Mavericks carried into the third period. In the third, St. Cloud State fired 15 shots on net but were unable to get past goaltender Simon Latkoczy, losing 3-1 after a late empty net goal.
Dropping down to No. 27 in the Pairwise Rankings, time is running out for the Huskies, whose schedule does not get any easier in the coming weeks. Their next opponent is against North Dakota (12-10-1) at home, with puck drop at 7:30 PM on 1/31 and 6:00 PM on 2/1.
Grant Ahcan, St. Cloud State