# 2023–24 Bemidji State Beavers men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Bemidji State Beavers men's ice hockey season was the 68th season of play for the program, the 24th at the Division I level and 3rd in the CCHA. The Beavers represented Bemidji State University, played their home games at Sanford Center and were coached by Tom Serratore in his 23rd season.

## Season

Bemidji State's primary concern entering the season was how to replace four of their top five scorers from 2023. Though the leading scorer, Lleyton Roed, was back for his sophomore season, the Beavers would need the rest of the team to step up as well. With the offense still a work in progress, the team had trouble winning early in the season. The team was competitive in most of their games, playing three overtime matches in the first two weeks, but they were only able to win once. Once the team began its conference schedule, Bemidji's hopes were diminished when starting goaltender, Matias Scholl, suffered a lower body injury and was forced to miss several weeks. Though Gavin Enright stepped up against St. Thomas, he wasn't able to sustain that level of play and the team's goals against ballooned.
During that time the offense began to figure itself out. Though they also lost Jackson Jutting for over 2 months due to injury, Bemidji State started seeing major contributions from new quarters. Several returning players posted new career highs and the Beavers were buoyed by the addition of Eric Pohlkamp. When Scholl returned The team was treading water but remained in the hunt for the conference title. He helped the team post a weekend sweep but because of the winter break, the Beavers weren't able to build on that momentum. Instead, Bemidji State lost four of five to kick off the second half of their season.
At the beginning of February, the team was 4 games under .500, however, because many of their losses were in non-conference games, the Beavers still had a good chance to get home ice in the first round of the conference tournament. However, over the final four weeks of the regular season, Bemidji State tore through its opposition. Scholl finally looked to have recovered from his injury while the offense found a consistency that had eluded them all season. The Beavers won eight games in a row (one in a shootout) and missed only two points in the standings. The streak sent BSU rocketing up the rankings and after they shutout Minnesota State in back-to-back games, the Beavers found themselves 9 points ahead of second place.
Bemidji State entered the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the country and they continued to roll over their competition. Though they got a slight scare from Ferris State in the first game, the Beavers swept their quarterfinal match and then easily dispatched Lake Superior State in the semifinals. With a conference championship their only path to the NCAA tournament, Bemidji State had even more to play for against Michigan Tech. Kasper Magnussen gave the team the lead in the first but after that the offense was unable to find the net. Despite firing 28 shots in the final two periods, no more scoring came from the Beavers. Tech was able to summon just enough scoring to take the lead and then held on for dear life thanks to a stellar performance from their goaltender.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Ross Armour | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Savannah Ghost Pirates) |
| Brad Belisle | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Éléphants de Chambéry) |
| Mike Carr | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Mitchell Martan | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Manchester Storm) |
| Aaron Myers | Forward | United States | Left Program (retired) |
| Kaden Pickering | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Iowa Heartlanders) |
| Elias Rosén | Defenseman | Sweden | Graduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks) |
| Will Zmolek | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Philadelphia Flyers) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Rhys Chiddenton | Forward | Canada | 20 | Campbellville, ON |
| Liam Engström | Forward | Sweden | 19 | Surahammar, SWE |
| Kasper Magnussen | Forward | Norway | 19 | Fredrikstad, NOR |
| Jake McLean | Forward | Canada | 21 | North Vancouver, BC |
| Eric Pohlkamp | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Brainerd, MN; selected 132nd overall in 2023 |
| Noah Quinn | Forward | Canada | 20 | Nelson, BC |
| Raythan Robbins | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Anchorage, AK |

## Roster

As of September 15, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Bemidji State † | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 48 | 82 | 64 | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 117 | 111 |
| St. Thomas | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 68 | 62 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 97 | 105 |
| #19 Michigan Tech* | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 63 | 54 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 109 | 102 |
| Minnesota State | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 73 | 62 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 111 | 96 |
| Northern Michigan | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 57 | 67 | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 83 | 105 |
| Bowling Green | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 60 | 69 | 36 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 86 | 116 |
| Lake Superior State | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 79 | 73 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 114 | 113 |
| Ferris State | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 49 | 80 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 83 | 125 |
| Augustana ^ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 90 | 105 |
| Championship: March 22, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) ^ Augustana is playing a transition schedule of 16 games against conference opponents that are not counted in the standings Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 8 | 6:00 pm | at #3 Minnesota* | | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota (Exhibition) | BTN+ | Robbins | L 2–5 | 8,289 | |
| Ice Breaker Tournament ||||||||||
| October 13 | 7:07 pm | Wisconsin* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Ice Breaker Game 1) | | Sholl | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 2,008 | 0–1–0 |
| October 14 | 6:07 pm | Army* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Ice Breaker Game 2) | | Enright | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 1,986 | 1–1–0 |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 20 | 7:07 pm | at #14 Minnesota Duluth* | | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | | Sholl | L 0–4 | 5,866 | 1–2–0 |
| October 21 | 6:07 pm | #14 Minnesota Duluth* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 2,451 | 1–3–0 |
| October 27 | 7:07 pm | St. Thomas | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | W 3–2 | 1,686 | 2–3–0 (1–0–0) |
| October 28 | 6:07 pm | St. Thomas | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | W 2–0 | 1,643 | 3–3–0 (2–0–0) |
| November 3 | 6:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Enright | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 1,231 | 3–4–0 (2–1–0) |
| November 4 | 5:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Enright | L 1–5 | 1,313 | 3–5–0 (2–2–0) |
| November 10 | 7:07 pm | Michigan Tech | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | L 2–4 | 1,632 | 3–6–0 (2–3–0) |
| November 11 | 6:07 pm | Michigan Tech | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | W 6–4 | 1,740 | 4–6–0 (3–3–0) |
| November 17 | 7:07 pm | at Minnesota State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | KEYC | Enright | L 1–5 | 4,941 | 4–7–0 (3–4–0) |
| November 18 | 6:07 pm | at Minnesota State | | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | KEYC | Enright | W 7–6 | 5,008 | 5–7–0 (4–4–0) |
| November 24 | 7:07 pm | at #1 North Dakota* | | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Midco | Enright | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 11,631 | 5–8–0 |
| November 25 | 6:07 pm | at #1 North Dakota* | | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Midco | Enright | L 0–5 | 11,690 | 5–9–0 |
| December 8 | 7:07 pm | Lake Superior State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | W 7–1 | 1,687 | 6–9–0 (5–4–0) |
| December 9 | 6:07 pm | Lake Superior State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | L 1–6 | 1,536 | 6–10–0 (5–5–0) |
| December 14 | 7:07 pm | Bowling Green | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 3–1 | 1,019 | 7–10–0 (6–5–0) |
| December 15 | 7:07 pm | Bowling Green | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 5–2 | 1,539 | 8–10–0 (7–5–0) |
| December 29 | 7:07 pm | #14 St. Cloud State* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | L 1–6 | 3,998 | 8–11–0 |
| December 31 | 6:00 pm | at #14 St. Cloud State* | | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | Fox 9+ | Sholl | L 1–6 | 4,789 | 8–12–0 |
| January 5 | 6:07 pm | at Ferris State | | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Sholl | W 4–1 | 1,504 | 9–12–0 (8–5–0) |
| January 6 | 5:07 pm | at Ferris State | | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Sholl | L 3–5 | 1,734 | 9–13–0 (8–6–0) |
| January 19 | 6:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | FloHockey | Sholl | L 1–2 | 2,864 | 9–14–0 (8–7–0) |
| January 20 | 6:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | FloHockey | Sholl | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 2,769 | 9–14–1 (8–7–1) |
| February 2 | 7:07 pm | Augustana* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 5–0 | 2,050 | 10–14–1 |
| February 3 | 6:07 pm | Augustana* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | L 2–5 | 2,435 | 10–15–1 |
| February 9 | 6:07 pm | at Northern Michigan | | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Sholl | W 4–2 | 2,645 | 11–15–1 (9–7–1) |
| February 10 | 6:07 pm | at Northern Michigan | | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Sholl | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 3,011 | 11–15–2 (9–7–2) |
| February 15 | 7:07 pm | Ferris State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 1,256 | 12–15–2 (10–7–2) |
| February 16 | 7:07 pm | Ferris State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 4–1 | 2,153 | 13–15–2 (11–7–2) |
| February 23 | 7:07 pm | at St. Thomas | | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 6–5 | 1,014 | 14–15–2 (12–7–2) |
| February 24 | 6:07 pm | at St. Thomas | | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 3–1 | 1,008 | 15–15–2 (13–7–2) |
| March 1 | 7:07 pm | Minnesota State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Sholl | W 6–0 | 2,522 | 16–15–2 (14–7–2) |
| March 2 | 7:07 pm | Minnesota State | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Enright | W 2–0 | 2,402 | 17–15–2 (15–7–2) |
| CCHA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 7:07 pm | Ferris State* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 1) | FloHockey | Sholl | W 5–4 $^{OT}$ | 1,725 | 18–15–2 |
| March 9 | 6:07 pm | Ferris State* | | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 2) | FloHockey | Sholl | W 4–0 | 2,176 | 19–15–2 |
| March 16 | 7:07 pm | Lake Superior State* | #20т | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Semifinal) | FloHockey | Sholl | W 4–1 | 3,048 | 20–15–2 |
| March 22 | 7:07 pm | Michigan Tech* | #20 | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Championship) | FloHockey | Sholl | L 1–2 | 4,373 | 20–16–2 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Lleyton Roed | LW | 38 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 16 |
| Kyle Looft | D | 32 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 14 |
| Eric Martin | F | 38 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 6 |
| Eric Pohlkamp | D | 32 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 18 |
| Carter Jones | F | 37 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 12 |
| Jackson Jutting | F | 27 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 2 |
| Adam Flammang | RW | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 24 |
| Austin Jouppi | F | 37 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
| Jere Väisänen | F | 37 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 4 |
| Kirklan Irey | F | 37 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 22 |
| Mitch Wolfe | D | 38 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Kasper Magnussen | LW | 29 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 6 |
| Vince Corcoran | D | 34 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 14 |
| Jake McLean | F | 38 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| Alexander Lundman | LW/RW | 20 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Rhys Chiddenton | LW | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| Donte Lawson | F | 17 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Patrik Satosaari | D | 31 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Liam Engström | F | 17 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Tony Follmer | D | 28 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Will Magnuson | D | 32 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| Logan Acheson | D | 28 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Jakub Lewandowski | F | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Noah Quinn | F | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Raythan Robbins | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Powell | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gavin Enright | G | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mattias Sholl | G | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 117 | 203 | 320 | 257 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Mattias Sholl | 24 | 1428:42 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 59 | 595 | 3 | .910 | 2.48 |
| Gavin Enright | 15 | 792:03 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 285 | 2 | .872 | 3.18 |
| Raythan Robbins | 3 | 66:55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 0 | .800 | 5.38 |
| Empty Net | - | 15:40 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 38 | 2303:20 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 111 | 904 | 5 | .891 | 2.89 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20т | 20 | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Kyle Looft | CCHA Defenseman of the Year |
| Mattias Sholl | CCHA Goaltender of the Year |
| Kyle Looft | CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman |
| Jackson Jutting | CCHA Best Defensive Forward |
| Tom Serratore | CCHA Coach of the Year |
| Mattias Sholl | CCHA First Team |
| Kyle Looft | CCHA First Team |
| Eric Pohlkamp | CCHA First Team |
| Lleyton Roed | CCHA First Team |
| Eric Pohlkamp | CCHA Rookie Team |