Nov. 27—On Nov. 11, 2024, Kirklan Irey skated out of the visitor’s tunnel at Ralph Engestad Arena for the first time as a Bemidji State men’s hockey player.
“It was my sophomore year,” the Bismarck native recalled of his first time playing against North Dakota on the road. “I believe we lost in overtime.”
Then-freshman teammate Kasper Magnussen scored 79 seconds into the game. Jackson Jutting doubled the lead 16 minutes later.
But Irey was right. The Beavers lost in overtime. Cameron Berg scored twice in the third period before Jackson Blake sent the local fans home happy 50 seconds into the extra session.
It was a stinging loss for the Beavers, blowing a two-goal, third-period lead against the top-ranked team in the nation. But Irey, who grew up just under four hours away from the Ralph, did his best to soak in the experience.
“It’s been unbelievable, seeing the support I have when we play there,” Irey said. “All of my aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, they all make the trek, so it’s pretty cool when you get chances to play in front of them.”
This Saturday at 6:07 p.m., Irey will play his final game at Ralph Engelstad Arena when Bemidji State hits the road for the second half of its home-and-home series against sixth-ranked UND.
“It’s bittersweet,” Irey said. “I grew up going to a lot of games. I’ve played in the building quite a bit in youth hockey and high school hockey. It’ll be pretty cool to get one more game there and have a bunch of family and friends there.”
The Ralph is a building that’s helped shape Irey’s hockey career. His Bismarck youth teams would skate on the state’s most grand sheet. He played in back-to-back state tournaments at the Ralph and played in a state championship in 2018, his final prep season.
It’s been seven years since Irey committed to Bemidji State. In that time, he was named a captain twice. He won both the Clark Cup and the MacNaughton Cup. He recorded his 50th collegiate point against Northern Michigan last weekend.
But as Irey’s college career winds down, the accolades take a back seat to the simple things sports can offer.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to play only five hours away from home,” Irey said. “My parents and fiancé get to come up every once in a while. To have their support, it means a lot. I couldn’t be more grateful that it’s here in Bemidji.”
For as long as Irey can remember, hockey has always been a family thing. When he was 10 years old, he found ice time in the mornings before school.
“I fell in love with hockey at an early age,” he said. “That was just from my dad, and then my brother and cousin. We all grew up playing. We always used to go to a thing in the mornings. My uncle and dad called it Breakfast Club. It was just a skills thing in the mornings on Mondays and Fridays at 6 a.m. with the older kids.”
By the time he played his first varsity season for Bismarck Century, he was already one of the Patriots’ top scoring threats.
Irey finished his sophomore season with 15 goals and 16 assists, good for third on the team in scoring. He helped Century finish with a record of 16-9-1 and the Patriots’ 10th consecutive state tournament appearance.
As a junior, Irey more than doubled his point production. He had 34 goals and 46 assists in 26 games, leading Century to its first and only state title game appearance in 2018.
“It’s competitive,” Irey said of North Dakota prep hockey. “Obviously, there aren’t a ton of teams like you see here in Minnesota. From a competitive perspective, there are five or six teams that are legit, and it’s fun to compete against those teams. Playing in the state title game my junior year, that was pretty cool. We played against Grand Forks Central. They had a bunch of guys who moved on to play Division I as well.”
Led by Cole Hanson, who played forward at Maine, Lucas Kanta, a winger for Army, and Kaleb Johnson, a former depth goaltender for North Dakota, Grand Forks Central edged out Bismarck Century 4-2 to win one of its 29 state championships.
Irey was then forced to make a decision. He was given the chance to spend his senior year playing for the Bismarck Bobcats in the North American Hockey League.
“I didn’t necessarily want to leave high school hockey when I was a senior, just because of the friendships you make growing up,” Irey said. “I think it was just the right step for where I was overall. I think it’s helped me grow into the player I am today.”
Irey’s lone season in the NAHL was the first of four years in junior hockey. He scored six goals and 12 assists with the Bobcats.
Right before his season in the NAHL kicked off, Irey committed to Bemidji State.
“It was an easy decision for me,” Irey said. “When I got to come on my visit here in the summer before I played for the Bobcats, I fell in love with it right away. I’d been here before when I was playing youth hockey, but going through that recruiting process with Tom (Serratore) and Travis (Winter) made it a no-brainer for me. I saw the character and everything that comes with being a Beaver.”
At the time, Bismarck was coached by former Bemidji State players Layne Sedevie and Garrett Roth. Sedevie played goalie for the Beavers from 2003-07. Roth was a forward from 2004-07.
“I was a bit smaller, and I had to mature quickly,” Irey recalled. “I still had a young mind. I had a great coaching staff there, a couple of former Beavers. They helped me in those aspects.”
After his one-year stint in the NAHL, Irey played three seasons in the United States Hockey League with Sioux City. He was named an alternate captain during his second season. Irey wore the “C” for the first time in his career during his third and final season.
Irey called his age-out year in the USHL a “storybook season.” The Muskateers won the famed Clark Cup after finishing the regular season with a record of 41-16-4-1. Sioux City beat Madison in four games, with Merrimack’s Nick Pierre scoring the overtime winner.
“There’s no better way to write it up,” Irey said. “Playing your last junior hockey season and ending it with a championship, there’s no better way to do it. I have a ton of memories. I’m still playing against some of the guys I got to play with. We still talk every once and a while. It’s really cool the relationships you take away from stuff like that.”
Sioux City was coached by current Minnesota State head coach Luke Strand. Reigning CCHA First-Team goalie Alex Tracy was in net. Players like North Dakota’s Dylan James, Boston’s Owen McLaughlin, St. Thomas’ Charlie Schoen and Western Michigan’s Grant Slukynsky were all key players on the Clark Cup-winning team.
When it was all said and done, Irey played 214 junior hockey games, scoring 31 goals and 45 assists between the NAHL and the USHL.
“Yeah, it was a grind. I’d say I was done after the fourth year,” Irey said with a laugh. “Junior hockey is the life, some would say. You don’t have to worry about school or anything else. But no, I was ready to move on.”
Irey played in 23 games, scoring one goal and four assists as a freshman. He found more ice time as a sophomore, and his offensive production increased to eight goals and seven assists.
He had a breakout season as a junior, recording a team-high 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists. He has eight assists in 16 games as a senior.
But for Serratore, the 25-year Bemidji State head coach, Irey’s leadership traits were noticeable before he got to Bemidji State. To him, it was a no-brainer that he was voted captain, regardless of his point production.
“Kirklan Irey is a man of substance,” Serratore said. “He’s an unbelievable kid with a great work ethic. He was a captain in Sioux City when they won the Clark Cup. We saw the leadership right there. Then he gets here and he works. He’s a world-class guy, the guys love him, the coaches love him. We saw all of those characteristics immediately.”
Throughout his first three seasons in college, Irey observed how the captains before him led the way. It started with guys like Ross Armour and Kyle Looft. Jutting’s captainship was the precursor to Irey’s.
“Those are three guys I really look up to,” Irey said. “Those three were really good captains, some of the best captains I ever had. Just how they model themselves, how they act at the rink, how they treat their bodies and nutrition and how they live their life, and that’s how I want to follow what they did.
“It’s good pressure. It’s the pressure I wanted. You can say that about all of the seniors here. We’re all leaders here. It doesn’t matter who wears a letter and who doesn’t, and we all take that seriously.”
With this being his final year of collegiate eligibility, Irey’s days of playing high-level hockey at the Ralph will end on Saturday.
As a young UND fan, he remembers watching players like Mario Lamoureux growing up.
“It’s funny because I work with him now in the summers,” Irey said. “I always wanted to play like him.”
Irey also remembers the post-game walk to the friends and family area after the games in Grand Forks. He remembers seeing a horde of people he’s close with after each game. Those are the moments that stick out when playing against his favorite team from his childhood.
“I’m excited for the crowd one more time,” Irey said. “It’s a cool place to play — one of the bigger college hockey rinks in the nation. To play in front of family and friends and a lot of Beaver fans, and hopefully get them a win, that would be pretty cool.”
