Previewing Bemidji State
Minnesota State will be looking to avenge last season's sweep at Bemidji when they take on the Bemidji State Beavers this weekend at the Midwest Wireless Center. The Beavers are off to a slow start so far this season, with an 0-3-1 record, and an 0-1-1 record in conference play. Don't let the record fool you. The Beavers started the season with a series at top ranked Maine, where they were swept, and after splitting an exhibition series with Canadian school Regina, the Beavers had to travel to Niagara, who is one of the top teams in the CHA, where they lost on Friday night, and then tied on Saturday night. A large portion of this Bemidji team returns from the past two seasons when the Beavers won the CHA and played in the NCAA tournament.
The Beavers are led by senior forward Luke Erickson, who has four goals and an assist so far this season. His four goals is even more impressive considering that Bemidji has only scored 8 total goals in their four games. That means Erickson has had a hand in over half of Bemidji's goals this season. If the Mavericks keep the defensive pairings from last week, expect to see Steve Wagner and Brian Kilburg on the ice whenever Erickson is.
The Beavers haven't found consistent lines yet. One name that may look familiar to Maverick fans is Bemidji winger Chris McKelvie, who is the brother of former Maverick Ryan McKelvie. McKelvie didn't play in the Maine series, but played both nights against Niagara, so hopefully he'll be in the lineup again. Sophomore center Travis Winter is a former high school teammate of Maverick defenseman R.J. Linder.
In goal, Bemidji splits time between two goalies. Senior Layne Sedevie usually starts on Fridays while junior Matt Climie gets the start on Saturdays. Last Friday, Sedevie started against Niagara, but gave up 3 goals on his first four shots, and was pulled for Climie after just 5 minutes.
For the Mavericks, it sounds like Mike Zacharias is still taking things slowly with his groin injury, so expect Dan Tormey to start both games in goal. Freshman Jason Wiley missed last weekend due to injury, and there's been no word on how long he'll be out. Hopefully he returns to the ice this weekend. If not, expect James Gaulrapp to play in his spot again.
This weekend should be a good test for the Mavericks. The Beavers aren't a pushover by any means, but playing at home, these are two games that the Mavericks are capable of winning. After two tough losses last weekend, this should be a good chance for Minnesota State to regain some confidence before they head back to WCHA play.
Keys to the Game
1. Score a first period goal- By now, most Mavericks fans know the statistic: MSU has been outscored 12-0 in the first period this season. That has to change. If Bemidji has a lead after the first period, that will give them a huge boost of confidence.
2. Cover the points on the penalty kill. Last weekend against North Dakota, the forwards sagged back a little too much, allowing North Dakota to fire shots from the point and get traffic in front of the net. If the Maverick forwards can stop those shots from the point, and allow Dan Tormey to see the puck, their penalty kill should be much better.
3. Control Luke Erickson. Bemidji lacks some of the depth that the Mavericks previous opponents had, so if they can shut down the Beavers' top offensive player, they should be able to keep Bemidji's offense in check.
The Beavers are led by senior forward Luke Erickson, who has four goals and an assist so far this season. His four goals is even more impressive considering that Bemidji has only scored 8 total goals in their four games. That means Erickson has had a hand in over half of Bemidji's goals this season. If the Mavericks keep the defensive pairings from last week, expect to see Steve Wagner and Brian Kilburg on the ice whenever Erickson is.
The Beavers haven't found consistent lines yet. One name that may look familiar to Maverick fans is Bemidji winger Chris McKelvie, who is the brother of former Maverick Ryan McKelvie. McKelvie didn't play in the Maine series, but played both nights against Niagara, so hopefully he'll be in the lineup again. Sophomore center Travis Winter is a former high school teammate of Maverick defenseman R.J. Linder.
In goal, Bemidji splits time between two goalies. Senior Layne Sedevie usually starts on Fridays while junior Matt Climie gets the start on Saturdays. Last Friday, Sedevie started against Niagara, but gave up 3 goals on his first four shots, and was pulled for Climie after just 5 minutes.
For the Mavericks, it sounds like Mike Zacharias is still taking things slowly with his groin injury, so expect Dan Tormey to start both games in goal. Freshman Jason Wiley missed last weekend due to injury, and there's been no word on how long he'll be out. Hopefully he returns to the ice this weekend. If not, expect James Gaulrapp to play in his spot again.
This weekend should be a good test for the Mavericks. The Beavers aren't a pushover by any means, but playing at home, these are two games that the Mavericks are capable of winning. After two tough losses last weekend, this should be a good chance for Minnesota State to regain some confidence before they head back to WCHA play.
Keys to the Game
1. Score a first period goal- By now, most Mavericks fans know the statistic: MSU has been outscored 12-0 in the first period this season. That has to change. If Bemidji has a lead after the first period, that will give them a huge boost of confidence.
2. Cover the points on the penalty kill. Last weekend against North Dakota, the forwards sagged back a little too much, allowing North Dakota to fire shots from the point and get traffic in front of the net. If the Maverick forwards can stop those shots from the point, and allow Dan Tormey to see the puck, their penalty kill should be much better.
3. Control Luke Erickson. Bemidji lacks some of the depth that the Mavericks previous opponents had, so if they can shut down the Beavers' top offensive player, they should be able to keep Bemidji's offense in check.
posted by Chris at 9:53 PM
1 Comments:
I think the guys are going to struggle on Saturday night. It's going to be very emotional for most of them and I'm pretty sure they won't be in the right state of mind to concentrate on hockey after the dedication. (that's why I think it's also being done on a non-conference night) There's not going to be a dry eye in the house. Makes me tear up just thinking about it. I can only imagine how sad Chris Clark is going to be....
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