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       \*\                         ITS A SWEEP!!!
        \*\
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          \*\
           \=\
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              !!!!!!!\\\
 
UWSP completed a two game sweep of Bemidji State U. Saturday night.  Scoring
by periods:
 
        Point           3       2       5       -  10
        Bemidji         2       1       0       -   3
 
Point came out buzzing and built up a quick 3 goal lead.  The first goal was
by Caufield who made an end-to-end rush, went behind the net, and stuffed it
on the stick side for an unassisted power play.  Caufield also got the next
goal and had a great chance for a natural hat trick (again) but the ref lost
sight of the puck and blew it dead.  He did complete the hat trick in the
third period for a 5 goal series.  Marsan for Point also had a hat trick.
 
Bemidji state scored 3 goals Saturday night, all on power plays.  If Point
could keep itself out of the penalty box life would be a whole lot easier for
them.  Like Friday night, Bemidji came back from an early deficit, although
3-2 and 4-3 is as close as they came to tying it up, and like Friday the
second period was very good hockey.  Point buried them in the third.  And,
like Friday, the game ended in bad blood.  Just after the 9th goal at 18:01,
Chris Morque for Bemidji threw a vicious cross check (while time was out) that
earned him a 5 min major and game DQ.  The linesmen kept it from erupting on
the ice but Morque got into a fight with the fans as he left the ice and the
Point coach Baldarotta got really pissed off at the dirty tactics Bemidji was
using.  He left the bench to go out in front of their bench to shout at
someone (I couldn't tell who) - that's really rare for him.  Unlike coach
Mazz, Baldy is pretty laid back.
 
Next up for Point is an exhibition game against Metalurg, a touring division 2
team from Russia, tonight.  This has got to be tough for the players - a
physical 2 game weekend with another game tonight (and Metalurg has been going
through Div III teams in the area like Sherman went through Georgia) and then
an important NCHA game against Eau Claire next Thursday.
 
In the meantime, Mankato State swept UW-Superior this weekend leaving Point
only 1 point back of them for 1st place in the NCHA.  Hey, maybe we WILL be
back in the hunt for a National title.
 
Tom Rowe                                [log in to unmask]
GO DOGS!