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7/1/2010 - MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Bemidji State men’s hockey program begins WCHA membership July 1

BEMIDJI, Minn. -- The Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey program takes its place as a member of the esteemed Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) today, July 1.  The league transition is the program’s first official move a 2010-11 campaign packed full of new and exciting changes set to loft one of the most tradition-rich programs in all of collegiate sports to new levels.

In addition to the University’s men’s program joining its women’s as a member one of the elite leagues in college hockey, BSU’s ice hockey teams are making preparations to inhabit their new $65 million state-of-the-art home--the Bemidji Regional Event Center.

Since Bruce M. McLeod, commissioner of the WCHA, announced that the association had voted to approve the membership of Bemidji State along with University of Nebraska Omaha into its men’s ice hockey conference for the 2010-11 campaign, June 26, 2009, BSU has been making preparations and today years of discussions and panning have become reality. The addition of the Beavers and Mavericks grow the league from 10 to 12 teams for the coming season.

Bemidji State is set to open its inaugural season of WCHA play Oct. 15-16 when it host University of North Dakota.  The two-game series will also serve as the grand opening of the BREC and Robert H. Peters Rink.  

In addition to BSU rekindling its long-standing rivalry with neighboring UND, the Beavers’ 2010-11 league slate features road contests at St. Cloud State University, University of Denver, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Nebraska-Omaha, University of Wisconsin and a trip to Grand Forks, N.D.  The Beavers are also slated to host University of Minnesota Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, University of Alaska-Anchorage, St. Cloud State, Colorado College and the University of Minnesota, which will make its first appearance in Bemidji, Minn. since the 2000-01 campaign.

Full membership in the WCHA solidifies what already has historically been a close relationship between the Beavers and the association. Since elevating its program to NCAA Division I status in 1999, Bemidji State has played 91 non-conference games against members of the WCHA, more than any other program in the nation. In addition, Bemidji State’s historical rivalries with association members St. Cloud State and Minnesota State date back several decades to a time when all three competed in the small-college Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA).

Bemidji State’s men’s ice hockey program leaves the four-team College Hockey America (CHA), where it made its home since the league was founded in 1999-2000, for the WCHA after winning five regular-season championships, three conference tournament titles and posted a winning percentage of over .750 during its nine-season run in the league.

The Bemidji State women’s ice hockey program has been a member of the WCHA women’s league since its inception in 1999-2000.

The BSU men’s team, which finished 23-10-4 overall and 14-3-1 in CHA play to garner its third consecutive conference regular-season crown, wrapped up the 2009-10 campaign with a loss to University of Michigan in the Midwest Regional semifinal, marking the team’s fourth trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament since 2005.

Head Coach Tom Serratore, who is beginning his 10th season at the helm of the Beaver hockey program, returns 21 players from his 2009-10 NCAA tournament roster including: 2009-10 RBK All-America selection Matt Read (Sr., F, Ilderton, Ontario); First-Team All-CHA defender Brad Hunt (Jr., Ridge Meadows, British Columbia); first-team all-conference goaltender Dan Bakala (Jr., Calgary, Alberta) and 2010 CHA Rookie of the Year Jordan George (So., F, Madison, Wis.).

About Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey
Bemidji State founded varsity intercollegiate men’s hockey in 1948. The University hired R.H. “Bob” Peters as the program’s fifth head coach in 1966, and Peters would go on to assemble one of the most dominant dynasties in the history of collegiate athletics. Peters led the Beavers to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship in 1967, just his second year at the helm, to spark a run of four consecutive national championships. That run set the stage for three decades of dominance that would see Peters lead BSU to 13 national titles and become the first head coach in the history of college hockey to win 700 games with one school.

The greatest example of Bemidji State’s dominance of small-college hockey came during the 1983-84 campaign. That year, the Beavers finished undefeated and untied with a perfect 31-0-0 record, capturing the NCAA Division II national championship. BSU would use that perfect season to spearhead a 42-game winning streak; that streak, which ended in the fall of 1984, remains the longest winning streak in the history of the sport.

The University elevated the men’s hockey program to the NCAA Division I level for the 1999-2000 season, where the Beavers would continue their winning tradition. BSU captured five regular-season College Hockey America championships, advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times and made a thrilling run to the 2009 Frozen Four that captured the national spotlight.

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