BEMIDJI, Minn. - The Lake Superior State hockey team fell to the Bemidji State Beavers by a final score of 5-1 on Saturday, Jan. 8 in the second game of a weekend Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) series at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn. Following the loss, the Lakers hold an 11-12-1 overall record this season and a 7-8-0 mark in conference play. 

Senior forward Miroslav Mucha scored the Lakers only goal in the game while junior goaltender Seth Eisele stopped 37 shots in the loss. 

For the second night in a row, the Beavers scored the game's first goal as Elias Rosen scored at 15:18 of the first period to give Bemidji State a 1-0 lead. Rosen capitalized on a loose puck in the slot and sent a quick shot past Eisele to net the opening goal. 

The Beavers doubled their lead with 1:03 remaining on the clock in the first period. Bemidji State took advantage of an offensive zone faceoff win. Rosen took a shot from the point that was redirected by Ross Armour, changing direction of the puck to fool Eisele. 

Before the end of the first period, the Lakers responded to cut the Beavers lead in half when Mucha tallied his fifth goal of the season to make it a 2-1 game. After gaining the offensive zone, freshman forward Dawson Tritt connected a pass from along the boards to Mucha, who got off a quick shot that was stopped by Bemidji netminder Mattias Sholl. Sholl let out a rebound that made its way back to defenseman Artyom Borshyov. Borshyov got off a wrist shot that was initially stopped by Sholl but Mucha, at the doorstep of the crease, followed up to put the rebound past Sholl at 19:27 of the period. 

Bemidji State would record a pair of goals in the second period to hold a 4-1 lead over the Lakers at the end of forty minutes of play. Tyler Kirkup scored a power play goal for the Beavers with 10:19 left on the clock as he put away a rebound from a shot by Owen Sillinder to give the team a 3-1 lead. At 15:52 of the second period, Lukas Sillinger extended the Beavers lead to 4-1.

Bemidji State forward Jere Vaisanen capped off the game's scoring at 15:12 of the third period when he beat Eisele off a pass from Austin Jouppi to give the Beavers a 5-1 advantage in the game. 

Eisele finished the game with 37 saves against the Beavers while Sholl stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced in the game from the Lakers. 

The Lakers will return home next weekend for their next CCHA series as the team hosts the Michigan Tech Huskies for a pair of games in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The series, which will be played in the Taffy Abel Arena, will open on Friday, Jan. 14 at 7:07 p.m. and conclude on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 6:07 p.m.

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