• Box Score: UNO 1, Bemidji State 1
• Photo Showcase: Bemidji State at UNO
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At this time of year, it's one point at a time.
So even though UNO managed only a 1-1 tie with Bemidji State in front of 9,079 Friday night at CenturyLink Center, the fact that it came on a clutch goal from Bryce Aneloski with 3:40 to go in regulation left the Mavericks feeling pretty solid about the result.
“Down the stretch, every (standings) point is important,” Aneloski said. “We would have given anything to get a point (in UNO's last game, an overtime loss). It would have helped us.
“We didn't get the two points we wanted, but at the same time we got a point out of it and now we have a chance to come back (Saturday) and get three out of four, which is always a good weekend.”
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (12-10-5 overall), which opened the night in sixth place in the WCHA, is now 9-6-4 in the league and moved up a rung to tie idle North Dakota with 22 points — and still has a game in hand against that team.
The Mavs are now two points ahead of seventh-place Michigan Tech, which lost 5-3 to Minnesota State-Mankato, and are two points behind third-place Colorado College and one behind fourth-place Denver.
They're hoping maybe they discouraged the Beavers heading into Saturday night's 7:07 matchup.
“We tied them,” UNO coach Dean Blais said. “We're happy to get the point. They might look at it as it was 1-0 after 55 minutes and they should have gotten the win.”
Aneloski scored his third clutch goal in as many games to force overtime and at least partially solve goalie Dan Bakala.
Frustrated all night by Bakala — an all-too-familiar event for the Mavs the past two years — UNO finally broke through. Aneloski collected a rebound in the high slot and delivered a low wrist shot through traffic in front that trickled under the pads of Bakala.
“You have to give credit to their goalie and the way they play in front of him,” Aneloski said. “They don't let a lot of shots get through, and when they do he's on his game most of the time.”
Bakala made 37 saves, but UNO freshman goalie Ryan Massa matched the senior in a solid 27-save performance.
“I thought both goaltenders were the stars of the game,” Blais said.
Massa had a key save on a wrist shot from Radoslav Illo in the slot with 3:15 left in overtime, and a shot from the point by defenseman Jake Arashenko with 1:05 left deflected off the post and then rolled underneath Massa, who sat on the near-miss.
“I think we stuck with it,” said Aneloski, who scored an overtime game-winner Jan. 20 and gave UNO a 3-2 third-period lead the following night. “You play like that, you're going to win a lot of hockey games.”
Blais said Massa, who sat out the Mavs' last game (Jan. 21) with a concussion suffered the night before, would likely be in goal again Saturday.
“I think so,” Blais said. “We haven't decided, but he's given up five goals in (his) last five games and is playing like the type of goaltender we need at this time of year. Crunch time and he's done it.”
Bakala, continued his hex on UNO in the first period as the Mavs came up empty on several premium opportunities and couldn't generate anything in a 5-on-3 power play that spanned 1:23.
No surprise, considering the missed chances, that Bemidji State got an early second-period goal — 54 seconds in — to make it hurt worse.
The Mavs turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Bemidji State countered instantly, with Illo firing from the left circle through a screen, high over Massa's left shoulder.
“I give a lot of credit to their forwards,” Massa said. “The guy came in and made a nice drop pass, and at the same time he cut across me and took my eyes away. The guy up top made a great shot and beat me clean. It's tough to stop pucks you don't see.”
Bemidji State is 12-12-3 overall, but is 10th in the WCHA at 6-10-3.
“We were three-and-a-half minutes away from a win and that's a little frustrating, but that's a very good hockey team,” Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore said.
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402-444-1027, rob.white@owh.com
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