Oct. 22—BEMIDJI — If Tom Serratore wanted to be really picky, the Bemidji State men's hockey team's first bye week of the 2026-27 season would've been next weekend.
Instead, the Beavers are coming out of a week off after being swept in a pair of close games against now No. 3 North Dakota in a home-and-home series.
It's probably not the greatest time for a bye week," said Serratore, BSU's 26-year head coach. "Maybe this weekend (would have) been so we could get three series in, but it's always something you try and take advantage of."
It's not that Serratore doesn't appreciate an early bye week, especially when almost half his roster is new to the program this season. It's a chance to reset with games on tape in hand.
"I would've rather grabbed Ferris State — we play them next weekend — and played them last weekend. They were off, too, and then we could've had a bye at the end of October," he continued. "But I like having an October bye, I really do."
In some ways, it comes at a good time for the Beavers, considering the opponent on the schedule this weekend. They will begin a home-and-home series against No. 8/9 Minnesota Duluth with a 7:07 p.m. road game at Amsoil Arena before finishing the series at 6:07 p.m. at the Sanford Center in Bemidji on Saturday.
Bemidji State is 1-9-1 against UMD in its last 11 games. It was swept last year and gave up 12 goals in the two mid-October contests. The Bulldogs are 3-1-2 and are coming off of a 7-1 win and a 2-2 tie at home against Minnesota.
"Life doesn't get any easier for the Beavers, (starting) with St. Cloud (State), North Dakota and now the Bulldogs," Serratore said. "I watched them last week against Minnesota, and they looked really good.
"It's a typical Duluth team — they play fast, they play hard, they're disciplined and they're well-coached. Year in and year out, Scott Sandelin and his staff do the best job in college hockey of any program, for a multitude of reasons. I have a lot of respect for their program."
Both junior captain and defenseman Luke Roelofs and sophomore forward Rylan Gould appreciated time off, but were antsy to play last weekend.
"Especially early in the year, once you get in the routine of the season a little bit, I think you're just super eager," Roelofs said. "A lot of guys wanted to play last weekend, but it's nice to rest your body a little bit and come back this week with some good days of practice. The guys are ready to play again, for sure."
Minnesota Duluth's top-six forward group is certainly prolific, but one player in particular has had an abundance of success against Bemidji's hockey programs.
Junior Jayson Shaugabay, who hails from Warroad, has given the home faithful fits since he was in high school. In seven games against the Bemidji Lumberjacks, Shaugabay scored nine goals and 12 assists. He had at least a point in every game and scored in all but one of them.
The trend continued when he got to UMD. In four games against the Beavers, Shaugabay has six goals and five assists.
"They're obviously a good team with a lot of good players," Gould said. "If you make a mistake, they can make you pay. They're going to be good down low at creating chances, so we have to stick to our plan and good things will come."
Over the past two seasons, Shaugabay played wing on the top line with Max and Zam Plante, but UMD has shifted its lines around for 2026-27. With the emergence of Victor Plante, Max and Zam's younger brother, they've formed a brother trio in the games they've all suited up.
"They're not sneaking up on us," Serratore said. "You better be aware and be cognizant. You have to make sure your puck management is better. You might have to get the puck out of the zone a little quicker. You might have to have more stick detail. You might have to be more physical."
However, Max hasn't played since UMD's season-opening series due to an upper-body injury. He's been ruled out for both games against BSU this weekend. Bemidji State is relatively healthy, but sophomore defender Ben Vigneault is unlikely to play with an undisclosed injury.
Regardless of Max, the 2026 Hobey Baker winner, being in or out of the lineup, Shaugabay centered a line with Hunter Anderson on his wing. SCSU transfer Barrett Hall, Harper Bentz and Luke Bibby have all played on the wing next to Shaugabay as well.
Shaugabay is currently tied for fourth in the nation in points (nine) with one goal and eight assists. Defenseman Ty Hanson has four goals and four assists, while Anderson has three goals and four helpers.
"Their top two lines are always clicking at a high speed," Roelofs said. "We're going to have to be defensively sound — play with our heads and know where guys are at all times. They're big, fast and strong, and we're going to have our hands full."
During the virtual CCHA Media Day, Serratore spoke about senior captain and CCHA Preseason Player of the Year Oliver Peer and his expectations.
He's coming off a season where he had 20 goals and 16 assists. Serratore was cautious in forecasting what his second and final season for the Beavers would look like, knowing that Peer is now a known commodity in college hockey.
Through three games, Peer has one assist. He's played all three with two new wingers — rookie Ethan Miedema and fifth-year transfer Carter Rapalje. But his slower start points-wise isn't unique.
Some of the other CCHA Preseason Team members have yet to put up gaudy point totals. Michigan Tech's Max Koskipirtti has two assists in six games. Bowling Green senior forward Ben Doran has yet to crack the scoresheet through six games. Others, like MTU's Isaac Gordon (1g-2a—3p) and Breck McKinley (1g-2a—3p), are off to hotter starts.
"It comes with the territory," Serratore said of Peer garnering more attention from opposing teams. "He's a ball player, and he had 20 goals last year, but especially when we go on the road, they're going to get their matchups. They know when (No.) 22 is on the ice, just like we know when (the Plantes) are on the ice, when Shaugabay's on the ice."
Part of Peer's start is due to the special teams struggles. Bemidji State has yet to convert on a 5-on-4 power play this season. BSU's man-advantage units are converting at just 10%, which is tied for 45th in the country out of 55 teams that have played a regular-season game.
The penalty kill ranks 50th at 66.7%.
"Our special teams right now, obviously, they aren't where we want them to be," Serratore said. "But you sure as heck don't want to panic and overreact after three games. It's always a work in progress. But you ask me (about what we need to improve) 15 games from now, you ask me that in January, the answer is probably going to be the same thing because those are the parts of your game, especially power play, are always going to be a little bit of a roller coaster."