Freddy's three thoughts of the game ...
1. Tough start: As well as Mathias Israelsson played on Friday night, the two goals he gave up were, perhaps, a bit concerning. Still, having backstopped a seven-game winning streak, he started again Saturday. It wasn't his night, though, as he allowed two goals on five shots over the first 5:50. Both looked rather savable (easy for me to say), and coach Mike Hastings opted to give him the quick hook, putting in Dryden McKay for the first time since Oct. 20. McKay played well as the Mavericks tried to come back from the early deficit, but ended up as the losing goalie despite allowing one goal on 31 shots.
2. Big hole: You never want to get behind against the Beavers. Bemidji State simply makes it tough for opponents when it has a lead to protect, which it got just 53 seconds into the game. And a two-goal deficit sure can feel like five. Minnesota State was outshot 37-21, and its two goals came on the power play with Edwin Hookenson and Charlie Gerard scoring. “They pressure us as hard, if not harder, than any team we play,” Hookenson said. “They don’t give us any time. Their forecheck makes it hard on us.”
3. Streak(s) stopped: The Mavericks' winning streak was snapped at seven, so they are now 10-2-0 (5-1-0 in WCHA). The Beavers also broke a streak, as they came into the game having lost four in a row. Julian Napravnik, who had a great scoring chance stopped by goalie Zach Driscoll with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining, had his eight-game point streak stopped as well.“Adversity is something you need to deal with,” Hastings said. “We haven’t dealt with a lot of it. I didn’t think we went away. I didn’t think there was a quit or a give-up. We kept getting close. But I think Bemidji got the result they deserved tonight and so did we.”
Read my game story here.
Around the WCHA: Northern Michigan 2, Lake Superior State 1 ... Michigan Tech 7, Alaska 2 ... North Dakota 4, Alaska Anchorage 3
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