MANKATO — Josh Groll and the Minnesota State men’s hockey team desperately wanted the first one.
The Mavericks had scored first in just two of eight games entering play Friday, and Bemidji State is notoriously tough to play against from behind.
“They’re a very good team, defensively. They lock it down in their zone very well, and they’re very structured,” Groll said. “To get that (first) goal kind of opens them up in their D zone.”
Groll helped MSU get that first goal on a familiar looking play, and the Mavericks led the rest of the way in a 5-1 CCHA victory over the Beavers in front of 4,941 fans at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center on Friday.
MSU has won three straight games to open its conference schedule after sweeping Ferris State last weekend.
Sam Morton got MSU on the board with an easy tap-in from the slot at 9:21 of the first, with assists going to Groll and Jordan Steinmetz. Groll drove to the net down the right wing before getting checked into Beavers’ goalie Gavin Enright. The puck trickled to Morton, who had a wide open net with Enright out of the play.
In the 2022 CCHA title game against the Beavers at Mankato, Groll had a similar drive down the right wing. He appeared to score the game-winning goal in overtime on the play, but it was later disallowed after the tournament trophy had already been presented to MSU. In a bizarre turn of events, play resumed after about an hour-long delay. The Mavericks won shortly after the restart.
“It was the same way where I wasn’t sure if it was going to count or not because I ended up landing on the goalie,” Groll said with a laugh. “This time I got hit, so it was a little different. Thankfully (Morton) put it in the net.”
Groll then made it 2-0 with a goal of his own at 1:52 of the second, banging home Steven Bellini’s rebound. That score held into the second intermission.
It was Groll’s first goal of the season.
“Groller was outstanding and gave us a push,” MSU coach Luke Strand said. “Those are big goals.”
The Beavers made a strong push down the stretch in the second, including getting six shots on goal in a power play late in the period. However, MSU goalie Alex Tracy was always up to the task.
He made 31 saves in the game to get his fifth win of the season. MSU also blocked 20 shots in front of Tracy.
“As soon as you see a flurry, it’s easy to get in that rhythm,” Tracy said. “The way we played in front of me — they did a great job of allowing me to just play the way I can play. They obviously provided that support up front with those five goals.”
Added Groll: “He’s been dynamite lately. … It’s good to know we have him behind us.”
Bemidji continued to apply pressure early in the third and scored to make it 2-1 at 5:37.
MSU quickly answered, with goals from Kaden Bohlsen and Brenden Olson at 7:02 and 9:53 of the third, respectively. Evan Murr added an empty-net goal at 17:37 to secure the victory.
Final shots on goal favored Bemidji 32-15.
“We definitely didn’t feel we had our best stuff,” Strand said. “A lot of those moments can be panicky and urgent and almost tip you the other way. …
“They just kept their nose to it.”
The Mavericks (5-3-1, 3-0-0 in CCHA) finish their series with the Beavers at 6:07 p.m. Saturday at the Event Center.
Follow Kevin Dudley on Twitter @Dudley7Kevin.