MINOT, ND – The Minot State Beavers men's hockey team fell to Niagara University 3-1 on Saturday night, missing out on a weekend sweep after splitting the two-game series at home.
Minot State struck first as Trenton Curtis found the back of the net on the power play, assisted by Walker Jerome and Joey Moffatt.
Niagara answered less than three minutes later with a power-play goal of its own, evening the score at 1-1.
Neither team found the back of the net for the remainder of the first period or throughout the second, sending the teams into the final period tied up at one.
Niagara broke the tie midway through the third period with its second power-play goal of the night, taking a 2-1 lead. The Beavers pushed for an equalizer but were unable to find the back of the net. Niagara added an empty-net goal with 13 seconds remaining to secure the 3-1 victory.
Goaltender Will Dyke turned in a strong performance between the pipes, recording 27 saves on 29 shots for a .931 save percentage.
The Beavers return to action in two weeks as they travel to Illinois for the Chicago Showcase. Minot State opens the tournament against Purdue Northwest on Friday, November 20, at 4:40 p.m., before facing UNLV on Saturday at 12:40 p.m. and Ohio University on Sunday at 11:40 a.m.
