WILLISTON, N.D. – A third-period explosion helped the Beavers remain perfect on the season.

The Minot State men's hockey team netted six goals in the third period, including a pair by Connor Navrot, as the Beavers skated to an 8-1 victory over in-state foe Williston State on Saturday night.

"I thought we were very average tonight, and the message stays the same – we need to be consistent, every single night – no matter who we play," Minot State head coach Wyatt Waselenchuk said.

The No. 2-ranked Beavers (5-0-0 overall) set a solid tone early in the game as Landyn Cochrane and Carter Barley each scored a goal for the visitors in the first period as Minot State outshot the host Tetons 17-6 over the opening 20 minutes.

But Williston State (2-1-0) hung around thanks to a strong second-period effort that included a short-handed goal to cut the Beavers advantage in half after two stanzas.

"Williston really took it to us in second period there, and it goes to show – when you get away from doing the little things, and you aren't working like you should, other teams will make you pay," Waselenchuk said.

Refocused for the third and final period, the Beavers put the game away with a goal each from Navrot and Jordan Robertson in the first five minutes of the session for a comfortable 4-1 lead that only grew the rest of the night.

Navrot added another goal for the 5-1 lead, Brayden Pawluk netted a goal for Minot State to push the lead to 6-1, then Barley and Josh Pederson capped the night's scoring with a goal each in the final five minutes of the period for the 8-1 victory.

"It was nice to score some goals and come alive there in the third, so we will certainly take it, but the message stays the same – we need to continue with our pursuit to create the culture of consistency, night in and night out," Coach Waselenchuk said.

Reece Henry, Barley, and Davis Sheldon each had a pair of assists in the win, while Navrot, Payton Jerome, Drew Carter, and Wayde Johannesson also added an assist each for Minot State, which next returns to the ice on Nov. 5-6 for huge weekend series at home as the Beavers host 25^th-ranked Illinois at the Maysa Arena.

Riley Wallace finished the game one save shy of the shutout, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced as the Beavers outshot Williston State 50-22 on the night.