Oct. 10—BEMIDJI — Tom Serratore noted there were a few areas that needed addressing in the offseason.
The Bemidji State men’s hockey coach wasn’t pleased with the Beavers’ consistency last season, or lack thereof. He wanted them to be more productive up the middle of the lineup, so BSU went out and found a plethora of forwards who can play center.
Serratore also wanted to field a faster team. And while the early returns certainly show that Bemidji State addressed that, too, there’s still room to play with more speed after a road sweep against Alaska Anchorage.
“We still want to have more pace to our game,” Serratore said. “We have the ability to have more pace to our game, and that’s a positive right there. We want to attack a little harder, we want to attack a little quicker. We want to take away time and space, be a threat on the rush, win those intensity battles.
“We want good puck pace, too. It’s not just about playing with speed, it’s about playing with good puck pace and puck movement, making sure we support the puck properly.”
Bemidji State beat UAA 9-2 and 5-0 last weekend in Anchorage. Twenty players had at least one point, while eight players had multi-point weekends. Senior forward and alternate captain Adam Flammang had a five-point weekend with one goal and four assists and won CCHA Forward of the Week.
However, the Beavers aren’t satisfied.
“Our team pace was good this weekend, but we can push that pace,” senior captain Kirklan Irey said. “Same with our (defensive) zone, I think we can tighten that up and close on pucks a little quicker.
“Pace of play was something we needed going into this year, and it definitely showed this last weekend. There’s always another step we can take. It’s moving the puck quick, moving our feet quick. I think we can grow from this last weekend, and we’re going to have to, playing against a good St. Cloud team.
Ah, yes, St. Cloud State. The proverbial thorn in the side of BSU in recent memory.
In Bemidji State’s last 10 games against its nonconference, in-state rival, the Huskies hold a 7-1-2 record.
The Beavers welcome SCSU to the Sanford Center at 7:07 p.m. on Friday night for the first half of a home-and-home series. BSU completes the second half of the series at 6:07 p.m. in St. Cloud on Saturday.
“They have talent, they’re well-coached, they have good structure, they have good special teams,” Serratore said. “Last year, we lost two heartbreakers — played well, could’ve won two games, lost two games. That’s hockey.”
Irey, a Bismarck, North Dakota, native, grew up close to the in-state rivalries among Minnesota’s college hockey programs. His tenure against St. Cloud State has left some to be desired.
“It’s something that’s in the back of our head,” Irey said. “We want to beat these guys. With them being close to us, it’s a fun one.
“Ever since I stepped foot in Bemidji, you can see it in our coaches and players that this is a big rivalry. Guys take it seriously, even though it’s nonconference.”
It could prove to be an important series for the CCHA as a whole.
Not only did Bemidji State sweep its nonconference series against an independent last weekend, but Lake Superior State did as well against Stonehill. Michigan Tech knocked off No. 8 Minnesota on the road last Saturday, and Ferris State upset top-ranked Western Michigan, the defending national champion, on Thursday night at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Lastly, St. Thomas went on the road to beat St. Cloud State 4-3.
For the league as a whole, a better nonconference showing will pay dividends in the NPI rankings that determine at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. The CCHA has been a one-bid league since 2022.
For Bemidji State, nonconference play will take a familiar turn. After a home-and-home against SCSU this weekend, the Beavers will do it again next weekend against Minnesota Duluth, then again on Thanksgiving weekend against North Dakota.
“They’re physical, they defend hard, they’re structured, they’ve always played hard,” Irey said of St. Cloud State. “They’ve been the thorn in our side, but I think if we bring our speed and physicality this weekend, we can test that.”
Of the 20 players who recorded at least one point, five of them were newcomers. In total, nine players made their BSU debuts in Anchorage last weekend.
Now, a new-look roster is set for its first test.
“A lot of guys played good hockey,” Serratore said. “You see the score sheet, and you can see who’s involved in the offense. There’s also things you can’t see that play into having a good weekend. A guy like Max Namestnikov, we had sme clips of him where you can just see his compete level, his reloading, his attack mindset. I don’t even know if he had any points this weekend. It doesn’t matter. We just like what he brought to the table on Friday.
“And again, we liked a lot of guys on Saturday, too. There’s not many negative things you can say about any player when you outscore your opponent 14-2. There were a lot of bright spots.”
