BEMIDJI, Minn. – A pair of goals in both the second and third periods proved to be more than enough for #12/#13 Minnesota State to claim its 20th win of the season as the Mavericks bested Bemidji State 4-1 on the road.

After a scoreless first period, BSU grabbed the opening lead when Leyton Roed stole a pass in the neutral zone, split two defensemen and shot low to the glove side of Maverick goalie Keenan Rancier with five minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the middle frame.
 
After that, it was all Minnesota State.
 
Freshman Christian Fitzgerald tied the game less than two minutes later when he jammed home an Adam Eisele rebound and, with 59 seconds remaining in the period, he crashed the net and put in an Andrej Pavel rebound for his 12th goal of the season to give the Mavericks a 2-1 lead.
 
MSU played lock-down defense all night, allowing just 16 shots on goal in the game, including five in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Mavericks also added a pair of goals in those final 20 minutes, beginning with senior Lucas Sowder's third goal of the season at 6:54 of the final period.
 
A defensive-zone turnover by Bemidji State saw senior Andy Carroll with the puck on his stick in the top of the slot. His shot was turned aside by Beaver goalie Mattias Sholl but Sowder pounced on the rebound in the left circle and quickly buried the puck.
 
Junior Jake Livingstone finished the scoring as he got the puck in the neutral zone from senior Cade Borchardt and was off to the races, scoring his seventh goal of the season on a breakaway while being hooked from behind.
 
The Mavericks held a 26-16 advantage in shots on goal for the game as Rancier stopped 15 of the 16 shots he faced as he raised his record to 8-1-0 in 2023 and 14-7-1 overall.
 
With Michigan Tech idle this weekend, MSU regained first place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings, holding a one-point lead over the Huskies with a game in hand and the team's slated to meet next weekend in the final games of the regular season.
 
Minnesota State (20-10-1, 15-7-1 CCHA) and Bemidji State (12-14-15, 10-10-3 CCHA) close out their series Saturday, when they meet again at the Sanford Center with the opening faceoff schedule for 6:07 p.m.