Megan Topping/MDN MSU junior Christian Kadolph (26) advances the puck on Saturday, November 9, at Maysa Arena in the second of two games hosting the Waldorf Warriors.

The Minot State University (MSU) men’s hockey team defeated Waldorf 2-1 on Saturday, November 9, to sweep the two-game series. MSU went into this game coming off of a 9-3 win against Waldorf on Friday, November 8.

With the win, the Beavers improve to 10-1-1 on the season, while Waldorf drops to 4-10-0 on the season. The Beavers have now extended their winning streak to 7 games.

The first period was a quiet one for both offenses. MSU’s goaltender, Mason Kelly held Waldorf scoreless in the first period with one save on one shot on goal, and Waldorf’s goaltender, Matthew Loney, held the Beavers scoreless in the period with 18 saves on 18 shots on goal.

Waldorf got on the board in the second period on an unassisted goal scored by Liam Wallace at 4:31 into the second period to put Waldorf ahead 1-0. Matthew Loney held the Beavers scoreless once again in the second period with 12 saves on 12 shots on goal.

The Beavers wouldn’t be denied in the third period, however, as the Beavers went on to score two unanswered goals to secure the win. Jay Buccholz hit the net as the Beaver to knot the game at 1-1 on an unassisted goal scored at 7:38 into the period.

Brayden Pawluk was the skater to put the Beavers ahead 2-1 on his first goal of the season at 18:27 into the period. Mason Kelly held Waldorf scoreless in the third period with seven saves on seven shots on goal to secure the victory.

Christian Kadolph and Austin Clyne were credited with assists in the game. Mason Kelly secured his first win in goal for the Beavers tallying 17 saves on 17 shots on goal.

The Beavers, currently ranked #2, takes on in-state rival #1 University of Jamestown on Tuesday, November 12, at the Maysa Arena at 7:30 pm. This in-state rivalry game between the #1 and #2 ranked teams in ACHA men’s division 1 hockey may very well be considered the game of the week. The #2 Beavers currently hold a record of 10-1-1 and are currently on a 7-game winning streak, while #1 Jamestown currently holds a record of 13-0-0.

MSU and Jamestown already faced off once this season back on Thursday, October 10, in Jamestown, where the Beavers fell to Jamestown by a final score of 2-5.

Historically, the Beavers have defeated Jamestown 22 times while only losing 4 times. The Beavers last victory over Jamestown came on February 29, 2024, with a final score of 6-3. In their second match-up of the season, the Beavers will be looking to get even with their in-state rival.

Jay Buchholz is the leading forward in points scored with 15 points on the season, and Reid Arnold is the leading forward in goals scored with eight goals on the season. Logan Rands and Austin Clyne are the leading defensemen in points scored with each having seven points on the season, and Logan Rands is the leading defensemen in goals scored with five goals on the season. Jake Anthony leads the way in goal for the Beavers with a 5-1-1 record and a save percentage of 0.912 on the season.

Following Tuesday’s match-up against #1 Jamestown, the Beavers will be headed to Fremont, Nebraska to take on Midland University in a two-game series. The Beavers are at Midland University on Friday, November 15, at 7:30 pm in game one, and on Saturday, November 16, at 7:30 pm in game two.