Bemidji, Minn. --- Max Coatta's first career hat trick help lift #10 Minnesota State to an 8-6 win at Bemidji State in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game played Saturday in Bemidji.
The game featured four lead changes and in addition to Coatta's three-goal effort, the Mavericks also got three point nights from junior defenseman
Daniel Brickley (1-2—3), senior center
C.J. Suess (0-3—3) and junior forward
Marc Michaelis (2-1—3).
The game stood knotted at 2-2 after the first period with the Mavericks starting things off just after the first minute of action with Coatta, a junior from Minnetonka, Minn., tapping a short pass from
Reggie Lutz at the side of the net past
Michael Bitzer. BSU forward
Jay Dickman scored twice, once at 2:11 with an even strength tally and another on the power play at 10:22, to give the Beavers a 2-1 lead. Michaelis, who scored three times in Friday's 5-2 Minnesota State win, got his second shorthanded goal of the weekend after he took a pass from Maverick goaltender
Jason Pawloski before scoring on the breakaway with a backhander he put between Bitzer's pads at 11:44.
There were a total of six goals scored in the middle frame and when it was all said and done, the two teams entered the locker room deadlocked at 5-5. The Mavericks took a 4-2 lead on goals by Coatta (4:00) and Brickley (5:27), but the Beavers scored three straight times, connecting at 9:10, 14:03 and 14:39, chasing Pawloski as a result. Senior forward
Zeb Knutson staunched the bleeding when he tipped Brickley's shot past Bitzer just before the end of the period.
The offensive fireworks continued through the final 20 minutes of regulation with the two teams combining for another four goals. Dickman got his third goal of the game at 3:16 to give the Beavers the lead, but Coatta with his third of the game at 9:41 and Michaelis his second at 10:01 allowed the Mavericks to regain the lead at 7-6. Freshman forward
Jake Jaremko closed out the scoring to seal the win with his first career goal coming at the 18:31 mark.
Minnesota State was scoreless in three power play chances, while BSU connected twice with the man advantage. Senior
Connor LaCouvee, who came on in relief, stopped seven shots to get the win and now stands 6-0-0 for the year.
With the victory Minnesota State goes to 8-3-0 overall and 6-2-0 WCHA. Bemidji State owns a 4-4-2 overall ledger and is 2-3-1-1 in WCHA contests.
Minnesota State continues WCHA action next weekend with a two-game league series scheduled for Verizon Center Friday and Saturday.
Mike Hastings commented following the win.
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