BEMIDJI, Minn. - The Lake Superior State hockey program (2-11-2, 1-7-1 CCHA) came back from down 2-0 to pick up their first official CCHA win of the season, taking down the Bemidji State Beavers (6-5-4, 4-2-3 CCHA) on the road by a final score of 3-2 in overtime on Friday.
Both teams would feel each other out early as the defenses held firm, but at the 10:28 mark of the opening period, Mitchell Martan was able to find the back of the net to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead that would carry into the first intermission.
Less than five minutes into the second period of action, Bemidji State was able to double up their lead after Aaron Myers slid the puck past Ethan Langenegger (Kamloops, B.C.). The defenses would step back up as both teams traded blows, but each goaltender made several key saves. However, at the 18:28 mark, Logan Jenuwine (Romeo, Mich.) cut the lead in half, scoring his third goal of the season off after redirecting a rebound after a shot from Louis Boudon (Grenoble, France).
The third period was all about the defenses with neither team able to score going into the final minute, and with a late penalty from Jenuwine, the hope for a Laker victory appeared to be bleak. However, the Lakers were able to steal the puck away to push into the offensive zone, and after pulling Langenegger in favor of an extra attacker, Jacob Bengtsson (Stockholm, Sweden) found the opening to score his first goal of the season with 24 seconds remaining in regulation to tie up the game after Boudon and Dawson Tritt (Spokane, Wash.) swung the puck around for the assists.
After killing off 44 seconds worth of penalty time to open up the overtime period, Boudon was able to push the puck up to Bengtsson who drew the goaltender before passing off for Brandon Puricelli (Ellisville, Mo.) to tap in the game-winning goal for the Lakers' first official win in league play this season.
In addition to the victory, Boudon was able to record the 100th point of his collegiate career with an assist in the second period, and he left no doubt that he reached the milestone after assisting on the remaining two Laker goals as well for a three-point performance. Bengtsson would also finish with multiple points (1G, 1A) on the night. Defensively, Langenegger picked up the win between the pipes, and senior defenseman Jake Willets (Monroe, Mich.) was also able to make a significant impact on the game, putting his body on the line for a game-leading six blocks.
The Lakers will be playing for the sweep on Saturday, Dec. 10 for the second game of the series against the Beavers with puck drop scheduled for 6:07 p.m. Central Standard Time.