ALBERT LEA, Minn. – Captain Jay Buchholz recorded his first hat trick as a Beaver while teammate Christian Kadolph tied the single-game record with 5 assists as top-ranked Minot State opened the postseason in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon.

Scoring just 1 minute, 36 seconds into the game, Minot State piled on 5 first-period goals, igniting a 14-2 win over McKendree in the semifinals of the MCH Tournament hosted by Waldorf.

Sean Williams scored that opening goal for the Beavers (26-1-1-1 overall), who then took another 11 minutes before scoring again, but then netted three goals in 62 seconds.

Jay Buchholz scored with 7:29 left in the first, then Reece Henry scored the eventual game-winner 26 seconds later for a 3-0 lead.

Buchholz then scored his second of the night 36 seconds after that for a commanding 4-0 advantage that just kept growing.

Slade Stanick scored in the final minute of the first period, then after McKendree finally got on the board early in the second, Buchholz finished off his hat trick 2:22 into the period for a 6-1 lead.

Back-to-back Sheldin Howard goals made it 8-1 midway through the contest before Eric Krywy, Mattthew Yakubowski, and Henry added a goal each for an 11-1 Minot State lead.

Krywy, Kieran Cooke, and Walker Jerome each scored in the third period, stretching the lead to 14-1.

The Bearcats tacked on a final goal with 22 seconds remaining for the final 14-2 difference.

Minot State freshman goalie Blake Sittler finished with 14 saves for the win in his collegiate postseason debut.

With the win, the Beavers advance to the MCH title game at 1 p.m. on Sunday as they look to defend their title. Minot State won the MCH Tournament last spring with a 2-1 overtime win over Jamestown in the Beavers' first season in the league.

Minot State plays Mary, which blanked Jamestown 1-0 in Saturday's other semifinal.