Bemidji State University rebounded from Friday night’s tie at Manitoba, rallying from a 3-2 first-period deficit and blowing the game open with five third-period goals en route to a 7-4 victory in exhibition play Saturday.
Caesare Stimson led the BSU offensive effort with a hat trick. She scored BSU’s second goal, a shorthanded effort at the 12:34 mark of the first. She then picked up back-to-back goals to cap BSU’s five-goal eruption in the third, including an unassisted goal to complete the hat-trick at the 13:33 mark.
Manitoba jumped out 2-0 on goals from Karne Mamchuk and Kim Houde, but BSU would get two of the next three goals to pull within 3-2 at the first intermission. After Manitoba scored at the 12:21 mark of the first to put the Bison up 3-2, BSU would score the game’s next six goals — three even-strength, two on the power play and one shorthanded. Manitoba picked up a goal with 1:16 left in regulation to pull within 7-4, the game’s final score.
“We came out really slow,” BSU head coach Jason Lesteberg said. “We expected a similar game to last night where all we would do is come out and dominate and put the puck in the net, and we didn’t get that.
“I jumped on the team a bit after the first period,” Lesteberg said. “We came out flying in the second and dominated play. We wore them down.”
Lisa Peters had three assists on the night. She finished the two-game series with five points after a one-goal, one-assist effort in the series opener. Freshman Nicky Kluck also had three assists in the winning effort. Lill Raynard also had three points with a goal and two assists.
Karen Mamchuk and Alana Warnick led Manitoba with two points each.
“We’re banged up,” Lesteberg said of the team’s status after exhibition play. “Bre [Dedrickson] is out, and we had some other injuries this weekend. We’ll just have to rest and heal up this week and get ready for WCHA play.
“Our passing is much better right now,” Lesteberg said. “We moved the puck pretty well this weekend.”
BSU opens its 2001-02 regular season Friday, Oct. 12, against Ohio State at 2:05 p.m. in John Glas Fieldhouse. BSU and Ohio State will also square off Saturday.
