BEMIDJI—Saturday’s Bemidji State men’s hockey game was a little more special for the Beavers.
BSU beat Ferris State 5-1 in front of an announced crowd of 3,371 at the Sanford Center. But one person in particular made BSU’s win even better.
Dropping the ceremonial first puck before the game was former BSU coaching legend R.H. “Bob” Peters. Peters and his wife Lou were celebrated last weekend for the 50th anniversary of their involvement with the BSU hockey program.
“It was a great day for us to get the win for our alumni (and coach Peters),” said BSU junior forward Gerry Fitzgerald, who scored a goal and added an assist on Friday. “It was a special moment for our organization. I got some chills when he was on the ice there, and the crowd, the atmosphere was just going nuts (before the game). We kinda just played for him. How can’t you?”
Peters was coach at BSU from 1966-2001, when he retired. He finished with 744 victories as a head coach, 702 with the Beavers. His teams won 13 small-college national championships, the last in 1998. When Peters retired in 2001, his former player (current head coach Tom Serratore) took over. Peters was also the commissioner of College Hockey America from 2001-2008.
Although Peters is no longer the coach, he’s still heavily involved with the program.
BSU sophomore defenseman Justin Baudry said even current Beavers are very familiar with Peters.
“From freshman year I think you come in and, even when you’re getting recruited, you know who he is,” he said. “His name’s on the wall (at Sanford Center), his name’s on the ice and in the dressing room. Obviously he’s a phenomenal coach. Tonight, we weren’t playing for him and we weren’t playing for ourselves, we were playing for (Peters) and the alumni, so it was great to get that win.”
Beavers drop to 20th
Despite winning Saturday’s game, BSU lost Friday night and as a result dropped from No. 18 to No. 20 in the most recent USCHO.com top 20 poll, which was pulished Monday. They’ve been as high as 10th in the USCHO poll this season.
The Beavers (16-9-3, 16-4-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) dropped Friday’s decision 5-2. BSU is 8-15-2 all-time against Ferris State—including just 3-8-1 at home. The Beavers hadn’t beaten the Bulldogs in Bemidji since Feb. 15, 2014.
Serratore said BSU’s recent history with the Bulldogs made Saturday’s game even better.
“We haven’t matched up well with this team,” Serratore said, noting that the Bulldogs have had a ton of success since joining the WCHA four years ago. “So it was nice for us to kinda get over the hump against these guys, especially in our building…. They’ve kind of had our number here, so it was a nice win from that standpoint.”