Ferris State pulls away with four third-period goals, beats Bemidji State 6-3

Ferris State rode a third-period surge to a 6-3 victory over Bemidji State at the Sanford Center, snapping a 12-game losing streak and earning three CCHA points that moved the Bulldogs into eighth place in the conference. The road win was Ferris State’s first conference victory in 2026 and came courtesy of balanced scoring and a 19-save effort from goaltender Martin Lundberg.

The scoring unfolded early and then in a flurry down the stretch. Gavin Best opened the scoring for Ferris State at 6:29 of the first period with an assist from Schleppe after a neutral-zone turnover spurred a Bulldog rush. Bemidji State answered on the power play when Peer scored at 8:09, assisted by Magnussen and Adam Flammang. Max Itagaki sliced through defenders and finished near the net front at 16:04, assisted by Best and Logan Heroux, to put Ferris State ahead 2-1 after one. The second period produced no scoring.

The third period decided the game. Carter Rapalje finished off an odd-man rush 29 seconds into the period for an unassisted goal, and Connor McGrath added an unassisted breakaway tally at 2:30 - McGrath’s second goal of the season - to extend the lead. Rapalje scored again unassisted at 6:52. Bemidji cut the deficit to 5-2 on a Magnussen power-play goal at 9:26, assisted by Peer and McClennon. Best sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 18:23.

Individual performances keyed the result. Gavin Best finished with two goals and an assist for his first career three-point game; his empty-netter was his 12th goal of the season and he finished plus-3. Carter Rapalje also had two goals and led Ferris State with four shots on goal. Max Itagaki scored and blocked three shots and finished plus-3. Connor McGrath recorded his second goal of the year. Martin Lundberg earned his third win of the season with 19 saves. Bemidji goaltenders combined for 15 saves, Hildebrand with 11 and Wiemken with 4, per the game box.

Special teams and team metrics underlined the ebb and flow: Ferris State was 0 for 2 on the power play and 2 for 4 on the penalty kill, while Bemidji was 2 for 4 on the power play. Shots on goal were close, 21 for Ferris State and 22 for Bemidji. Ferris State blocked 11 shots and won 30 faceoffs to Bemidji’s 26. Plus/minus leaders for Ferris State included Valtteri Piironen, Schleppe, Itagaki and Best at plus-3; Piironen, Trevor Taulien and Itagaki each blocked three shots. Josh Zary paced Ferris State with 11 faceoff wins.

Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore summed up his team’s night: "It was not a good game for the Beavers. We took a step back tonight. We had a great game on Saturday, but we took a step back. (Ferris State) played with a lot of desperation, and we didn’t play with the desperation Ferris State did." The Beavers also lost a key moment when senior forward and Hobey Baker nominee Adam Flammang suffered a lower-body injury in the third period; he crawled off the ice and limped down the tunnel, and Serratore had no update on his status.

For Beltrami County fans, the Sanford Center saw a hard-fought local effort undone by a late Ferris surge, and Bemidji State will look to regroup for the remainder of the weekend series. Ferris State leaves with a morale-boosting road victory that halts a lengthy slump and gives Bulldogs fans and the CCHA standings a fresh narrative to follow.