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BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Its new building is not slated to be completed for months, but the Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team has learned who its opponent will be when it opens the Bemidji Regional Events Center as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association today announced the team’s 2010-11 schedule.

When the Beavers skate to the goal line for the starting line ups opening night Oct. 15, 2010, the team will be staring across the rink at long-time, regional rival University of North Dakota. The battle with UND will carry over to the following night and will begin one of BSU’s two four-game homestands--its longest of the 2010-11 campaign.

During its first season as members of the WCHA, the Beavers will be tossed right into the fire, opening the season with 10 consecutive association match ups en route to a 28-game conference slate.

After the season-opening series versus North Dakota, BSU hosts University of Minnesota Duluth in a battle for Babe the Blue Ox traveling trophy, Oct. 29-30.

A Nov. 5-6 trip to St. Cloud, Minn. to face St. Cloud State University will be followed by a first-ever meeting with University of Alaska Anchorage Nov. 12-13 in Bemidji before making a trip west to the Rocky Mountains for the Beavers’ inaugural two-game series with Denver Nov. 19-20.

Bemidji State returns home Nov. 26-27 to host Northern Michigan University for the first of its six scheduled nonconference affairs. The series represents Northern Michigan’s first trip to Bemidji and sparks the Beavers’ second four-game homestand of the season. The University of Nebraska Omaha closes out the homestand the following weekend (Dec. 3-4) in its initial appearance on Bemidji State’s home ice.

The Beavers continue play in December when they hit the road for a series at University of Wisconsin Dec. 10-11 before breaking for the holidays. Following a two-week hiatus, BSU returns to action Dec. 31-Jan. 1 for a pair of nonconference contests as one of four teams to participate in the 2010 Mariucci Classic.

The move to the WCHA schedule will allow the Beavers to rekindle old rivalries and create new ones, but Jan. 7-8, the team continues a rivalry that dates back to 1994 and the NCAA Division II national championship series. The Beavers continue play with a double dip at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. to go head-to-head with College Hockey America rival University of Alabama-Huntsville.

The back half of the season features Nebraska-Omaha (Jan. 14-15), St. Cloud State (Jan. 21-22) and North Dakota (Feb. 25-26), each for the second time, with the addition of Minnesota State University, Mankato, Michigan Tech, Colorado College and University of Minnesota.

One of the feature homestands of the 2010-11 slate will take place Jan. 21-22 versus St. Cloud State. Since 1986, the Huskies have been in Bemidji for just four games, but played in front of back-to-back sold out crowds Oct. 24-25, 2008.

Following journeys to Minnesota State and to Michigan’s upper peninsula to face Michigan Tech, the Beavers return home to host perennial powerhouse Colorado College Feb. 18-19.

Bemidji State makes its only trip to Ralph Engelstad Arena Feb. 25-26 for a two-game set versus UND before returning home to wrap up the season with a series versus the University of Minnesota Mar. 4-5. The head-to-head match up with the Golden Gophers will mark Minnesota’ first trip to Bemidji since the teams met for a single game to open the 2000-2001 campaign.

The Beavers are coming off a 2008-09 season in which they assembled a 20-16-1 overall record and won the College Hockey America title with a 12-5-1 mark in league play. BSU capped the season with a trip through the NCAA Tournament for its first-ever appearance in the Frozen Four.

The current version of the team hits the ice this week in preparation for the 2009-10 season. The team opens the campaign, BSU's final full season in the John S. Glas Fieldhouse, Oct. 9-10 when it hosts former CHA rival Air Force Academy. The series is set to start at 7:35 p.m. Friday with a 7:05 p.m. start scheduled for Saturday.

--bsu--