Feb. 27—BEmidji — Regardless of the sport, coaches often mutter a cliche about how their teams will play their best at the end of the season.
For the Bemidji State men’s lacrosse team, there’s historical truth behind it.
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The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is no closer to determining a league title when the Beavers open a two-game series against St. Thomas on Friday at 7:07 p.m. That’s because heading into Friday’s game, five of the league’s nine teams could still win the MacNaughton Cup. Only one playoff seed has been determined — Ferris State will finish eighth — and only one team has locked up a home berth.
While Augustana currently sits atop the standings with 50 points, two points ahead of the Tommies (48 points) and Michigan Tech (48 points), the Vikings, who are about to open the Mason Cup playoffs at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls, will likely slip down the standings. They ended the regular season last weekend with five points in a road series against UST.
Michigan Tech hosts No. 5 Bowling Green (44 points), while No. 4 Minnesota State (46 points) hosts Northern Michigan.
Nationally, there are still four CCHA teams still competing for large bids. Minnesota State University, University of St. Thomas, Augustana University and Michigan Technological University are ranked 15-18 respectively in the NPI rankings.
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The table is ready for one last chaotic weekend feast. If history repeats itself, the biggest factor may be the Beavers.
The Tommies swept the Beavers for the first time as a Division I school when BSU played a road series against UST on Jan. 16-17. However, St. Thomas didn’t have much luck at the Sanford Center. In fact, they haven’t won a single game in eight games.
Bemidji State is 6-0-2 at home against the Tommies. But there’s an even more depressing historical trend that runs counter to BSU’s opponents. Bemidji State is 10-2 over the past six years heading into its final home series.
Bemidji State also won five straight games on Senior Night. If the Beavers win Saturday’s 6:07 p.m. game against UST (or if they win Friday’s series opener), the McNaughton Trophy will likely never stop on the St. Paul campus.
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“It’s going to be a dogfight,” head coach Tom Serratore said. “They beat us a month ago in St. Paul and they have a strong hockey team. They are competing for the conference championship. We know we have to be at our best this weekend.”
Bemidji State’s tumultuous season culminated in a final playoff audition. The Beavers are 12-17-3 (10-11-3 in CCHA play) and coming off a bye. BSU was tied 1-0 in two games on the road against Minnesota State before halftime.
“We have to be a little desperate now in the game,” Serratore said. “We’re still trying to figure out who we are. No one wants to figure out who they are this late in the year, but we’ve got to work on that and get into a rhythm. That’s what happened (in Mankato). We got into a rhythm by playing 120 minutes of great hockey.”
St. Thomas won 11 straight games in December and January, but has a record of just 1 win, 3 draws and 1 loss in its last five games, with its only victory coming in overtime on the road against Bowling Green.
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“We knew they were going to be a good team this year,” senior captain Kirkland Airey said. “They have great team speed. They are physical, good defense and tenacious. They have great goaltending. I think that’s something we can match. When we played them that weekend, we struggled in every aspect of the ice and game. We know that; we watched the film and learned from it. I think we need to improve our speed and physicality and defend from the inside out.”
St. Thomas has never won the MacNaughton Cup or the Mason Cup. The Tommies have finished as runners-up in the past two MacNaughton Cups and lost to Minnesota State in last year’s Mason Cup championship game.
This is UST’s last year at CCHA. It will compete in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference next season, bringing the CCHA’s number back down to eight teams. While Bemidji State could be the ultimate spoiler, preventing the Tommies from winning any conference games before moving on to another conference, that thought is out of sight and out of mind in the BSU locker room.
“We’re not worried about ruining the game for St. Thomas and we’re focused on playing good hockey,” Serratore said. “Obviously, if you win and you play a spoiler, you look back and say it was fun. But that’s not the same as going into the game and saying you were a spoiler. Maybe some people will, but we don’t talk about it. We don’t bring those things up.”
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Bemidji State still has its place. The Beavers picked up a point or more this weekend against St. Thomas and ended up in sixth place. Lake Superior State will also win if they don’t beat Ferris State in Friday’s game.
“I couldn’t worry or think about what was going on around us,” Serratore said. “Of course when the game ends we’ll focus on the score and stuff, but we’re just trying to play our best hockey. That’s what we’re focused on with the Beavs.”
