Gustavsson's Late Goal Lifts Hibbing/Chisholm Past Bemidji 4-3

Hunter Gustavsson’s late goal broke a 3-3 tie and lifted No. 2-1A Hibbing/Chisholm to a 4-3 victory over Bemidji at the Bemidji Community Arena, with the senior forward’s low shot eluding standout Bemidji goaltender Christian Hill and coming with 6:32 left in the third. The score completed a back-and-forth contest that ended Hibbing/Chisholm’s visit to Bemidji on the winning side.

The game opened with Hibbing/Chisholm striking first when Cole Swanson got behind the defense and “went five-hole to open up the scoring,” setting an early tone for the Bluejackets. Bemidji responded moments later after a turnover, stealing the puck in their own zone and capitalizing to knot the game; later in the first period Jackson Strukel nailed the top corner to put Hibbing back in front heading to the second.

Strukel added a second goal in the middle frame after Tate Swanson “found Strukel in the slot and he fired it into the back of the net to make it 3-1.” Bemidji answered seven minutes later to cut the lead to 3-2 and forced a decisive third period in front of the home crowd at Bemidji’s rink.

Midway through the third, Wesley Truax pulled Bemidji (10-10-1) into a 3-3 tie less than two minutes before Gustavsson’s winner. Legacy Hockey’s game account says Gustavsson’s goal “was set up by a turnover at the blue line and a passing play that included Joe Gabardi and Ben Galli,” and that the shot came from the top of the face-off circles. Legacy also notes it was just the second goal of the season for Gustavsson.

Netminding proved decisive on both ends. Hibbing/Chisholm netminder Gavin Lamphere recorded 25 saves as the Bluejackets “stood strong for the rest of the game to earn their fifth consecutive win,” pushing Hibbing/Chisholm’s record to 19-2-2. Legacy described Bemidji’s Christian Hill as a “standout” who was beaten by Gustavsson’s low shot; Legacy lists Bemidji’s record at 10-10-1 in its recap.

WDIO framed the matchup as Hibbing/Chisholm’s penultimate road game of the regular season and credited Aaron Jamnick’s squad with improving to 19-2-2 ahead of its final home game against Cloquet/Esko/Carlton at 7 p.m. next Tuesday. Sources present a discrepancy on published dates: Legacy Hockey and a Lakeland News video list the game as Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, while a Lakeland PBS report was published Feb. 20, 2026.

Hibbing/Chisholm leaves Bemidji with a one-goal road victory, a five-game winning streak, and a 19-2-2 mark as the Bluejackets prepare to host Cloquet/Esko/Carlton at 7 p.m. next Tuesday.