Oct. 28—BEMIDJI — The Beavers thought they played well enough to start better than 1-4.
“It’s too bad we didn’t get a little sugar over the last three or four games,” Bemidji State men’s hockey coach Tom Serratore said, “because we deserved it.”
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After starting the season with a 3-2 overtime win against former WCHA rival St. Cloud State, BSU went through this season’s toughest stretch. It had back-to-back home-and-home series against top-10-ranked North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth.
Bemidji State lost by a goal in both games against UND, surrendering the winning tally with under five minutes left in regulation each time. After a bye week, the Bulldogs pulled away in both third periods to complete the sweep last weekend.
“A couple of those games we played really good,” Serratore said. “Honestly, either of those games (against UMD), even though we lost 4-1 on Friday night, who’s kidding who? There were a lot of times we could’ve scored first. If we score first, it changes the whole complexion. If we responded when we were down 1-0, who knows how things go. I’d be worried if we weren’t getting opportunities, but we are getting opportunities.”
There are a few reasons why Bemidji State is on a four-game skid heading into its first CCHA series against Ferris State this weekend.
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Freshman Carl Axelsson stopped 48 of the 49 shots he faced in goal for UMD, staying unbeaten through his first six collegiate starts. Ty Hanson, the nation’s leading scorer among all defensemen (7g-5a—12p), took over with three goals and an assist against BSU.
However, another area one could point to is special teams. BSU has the 54th-best power play out of the 57 teams that have played at 7.2%, converting just once on 14 chances. The Beavers’ lone power-play goal came in overtime against SCSU in a 4-on-3 setting.
The penalty kill has also struggled, fending off just 10 of opponents’ 15 chances (66.7%). Only Lindenwood (60%) has a worse success rate among all Division I teams so far.
For now, Serratore isn’t overly concerned with how his special teams units have played. Considering the Beavers roster 13 new players on its 27-man team, his assessment that this team is a “work in progress” is not only accurate, but a shared sentiment around many CCHA schools.
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“Our guys have played pretty good — we’re pretty happy with our standard of play right now,” Serratore said. “Our compete level has been high, our execution is good. We got one goal this past weekend, and that’s a little punch in the gut, but on the same token, we’ve established our game pretty good territorially. On Friday and Saturday, we had a lot of scoring chances, and I can’t ask much more out of our guys. But we have to be productive, too, and we didn’t have the production.”
Still, there’s one area the Beavers can take a jump, and it would likely benefit both the power play and the penalty kill.
They’ve won 47.1% of their faceoffs this season, which ranks 43rd in the nation. Of the BSU players who have taken 10 or more draws, all of them are below 50%.
Jaksen Panzer sits at 49% (25-26), while Oliver Peer (45-50) and Jake McLean (32-36) have won 47.4% and 47.1%, respectively. Rylan Gould had a win rate of just 44.3% (27-34).
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“We want to be 55% — that’s the number,” Serratore said. “I sure as heck, over the last four or five games, would’ve liked to be 50, 51, 52. It’s a work in progress. There are a lot of things that are a work in progress, but that has to move up because we all know that’s part of possession.”
Bemidji State lost the faceoff battle in three of its last four games, including a 40-18 drubbing in the series finale against North Dakota. The only game BSU didn’t go into the red was the finale against Minnesota Duluth — faceoffs were tied 27-27.
North Dakota (61.1%, second) and Minnesota Duluth (51.1%, 21st) are both in the top half of the country in faceoff percentage, as is St. Cloud State (51.8%, 18th).
“It’s easy to sit here and say it’s a three-person stat,” Serratore said. “We say that a lot, but ultimately, it’s our center versus their center. If you can get yourself a little edge, then it’s up to the guys on the flank to help you win that faceoff. But 50% of it is on the centerman, maybe more.”
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While the Beavers have struggled in some key areas through five games, so has Ferris State.
The Bulldogs have the 50th-best power play (9.5%) and are tied for the 41st-best faceoff win rate (47.4%). They do, however, have an 82.8 success rate on the penalty kill.
FSU (1-4-1) is coming off its best weekend this season, picking up its first win over then No. 11 Michigan Tech in its first CCHA series.
BSU and Ferris State split the only series between the two schools last February. It was Brett Riley’s first behind the FSU bench as head coach after five years at the helm at Long Island. Riley replaced Bob Daniels, who served as the Bulldogs’ head coach from 1992 to 2025.
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“They had a lot of turnover, but Brett gets his guys to compete hard, and so did Bob,” Serratore said. “At the end of the day, I’ve been so focused on us that I don’t have a great read of Brett’s teams. I think it’s going to take a couple of years of getting a sample size to see the nuances of how he coaches and to see some of the staples they have in their game.”
BSU fifth-year forward Carter Rapalje will also play against his former team. Rapalje followed Riley to Ferris State last season before transferring to Bemidji State.
Serratore said the feeling of turning to CCHA play is somewhat of a chance to reset after a tough three-week stretch. League points are on the line for the first time at 7:07 p.m. on Friday at the Sanford Center. The series finale is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. on Saturday in Bemidji.
“You better position yourself for February,” Serratore said of the importance of six points being up for grabs. “You position yourself for February in October, November, December. If you think you’re going to just have a late run, it obviously doesn’t work that way. You have to be pretty consistent with your game and how you play. And we have to be consistent in our messaging as coaches.”
