BEMIDJI, Minn. — For all the Fighting Sioux have accomplished in the last seven years under Dave Hakstol — Frozen Four appearances, MacNaughton Cups and Broadmoor Trophies — tonight they achieved a first under the Sioux bench boss: sweep their opening WCHA series.
UND scored four unanswered goals to a turn a 2-1 deficit into a second straight 5-2 win over host Bemidji State tonight at the Robert H. Peters Rink at the Bemidji Regional Event Center.
The victory put the finishing touches on a series sweep, UND's first to open WCHA play since 2003-04.
A balanced and opportunistic offense was the key ingredient tonight for the Sioux, with five different players finding the net. Second-period goals by Derek Rodwell (Fr., Taber, Alberta) and Evan Trupp (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska) in a 50-second span turned the game in UND's favor in front of another capacity crowd.
Rodwell's goal, the first of his career, tied the game at 2-2 with 5:32 left in the second period. Stationed in front of BSU goalie Dan Bakala, Rodwell picked up a loose puck, spun and swiped the puck along the ice past Bakala to pull the Sioux even. Just 50 seconds later, senior captain Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) eluded a BSU checker in the high slot and spotted Trupp at the bottom of the right faceoff circle, and Trupp one-timed Genoway's pass behind Bakala to give UND the lead for good.
Head coach Dave Hakstol pointed to Rodwell's goal as the momentum changer for the Sioux.
"Derek hadn't played much to that point with all of the penalties in the first half of the game," Hakstol said. "We were coming off of the power-play, we had tied the game up and he goes out and scores a great goal going to the net on a rebound, quick hands, great goal. A huge goal for our team."
With a one-goal lead in tow entering the third period, the Sioux smothered the Beavers in the final frame, holding BSU to just three shots on goal. Then, with less than two minutes to play, senior forward Matt Frattin (Edmonton, Alberta) won a race to the puck at the BSU blueline, beat the Beaver defender wide and wired a wrist shot that beat Bakala high glove side. For Frattin, it was his team-leading fifth goal of the season and fourth of the weekend.
Junior forward Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) sealed the sweep with an empty net goal with 41 seconds left.
"I thought a lot of our veteran guys really stepped up after a sluggish period," Hakstol said. "We knew today would be more of a battle than yesterday. It was smash-mouth hockey. They came fast and hard, especially in the first period. We regained our bearings in the second period and had a real good third period."
Sophomore Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) received his second start and turned in a steady effort, turning aside 20 of 22 shots to improve to 2-0-0.
Bakala stopped 21 shots for the Beavers.
UND went 1-for-6 on the power-play while the Beavers went 2-for-6.
The unbeaten and second-ranked Sioux (3-0-1, 2-0-0 WCHA) will return to non-conference play next week at Maine.
Notes: Genoway scored the game's first goal midway through the first period, his first since Oct. 23, 2009. The power-play goal was his 13th career tally with the man advantage, tying him for fourth all-time at UND ... Frattin has 15 goals in his last 17 games ... UND has scored at least one power-play goal in each game this season.
- Go Sioux -
