Staff
It was a storybook ending for Minot State Beavers as they claimed just the second national championship in program history last week.
In what was touted as a “redemption tour” by the announcers of the ACHA, the Beavers had to run the gauntlet.
The squad, which features former Fort Frances Lakers’ defenceman Kyle Lipinski, first had to get through Illinois–the national tournament runner-up and the team who knocked the Beavers out a season ago.
Next up, the Adrian College Bulldogs, who were the defending national champions.
Then in the national tournament semi-finals, the Beavers had to get through the No. 1 team, a team with only one loss.
In the national championship game, the Beavers had to defeat a team who swept them earlier in the year.
“What a ride,” Beavers’ head coach Wade Regier said in a story posted on the team’s website.
“It was a gruelling week, we had to endure so much adversity and battled all week,” he lauded.
The Beavers entered the national tournament as the sixth seed and faced 11th-seeded Illinois in their opening game.
Minot State jumped out front early with a couple quick goals, but the Illini fought back to make a game of it.
But the Beavers stood tall down the stretch to hold on for a 5-3 victory.
The Beavers then faced the third-ranked Adrian College Bulldogs.
The defending national champions were the team to beat, as they only had two losses this season and featured one of the most potent offences.
The Bulldogs came out strong and took a 1-0 lead going into the third period.
But the Beavers rallied back with two quick goals to take a 2-1 lead.
Both teams exchanged late goals, but it was the Beavers who hung on for a 3-2 win.
The semi-final then was set against the top-ranked Lindenwood Lions.
The Lions boasted the country’s best defensive numbers and had only one blemish on their record, making for a stiff challenge.
Minot State got an goal early from captain Blake Fournier, then proceeded to battle defensively.
The two squads turned the game into a defensive battle as the Beavers hung on to advance to the national championship.
In the final, the Cyclones jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period.
The Beavers tied it with a goal late, from none other then Blake Fournier to knot it at 1-1 after the frame.
Early in the second, the Beavers added one from Johl Swedlo.
That goal ended up being the difference-maker as both teams battled the rest of the way.
The Beavers added an empty-netter to win seal their second-ever national championship.
“The character and leadership were the difference for us,” lauded Regier
“The boys believed in themselves, a belief they could over come all obstacles. I am just so proud of these boys.”
Lipinski, a Grand Prairie, Alta. native, won the Bill Salonen Cup title with the Lakers back in the 2013-14 season in which he racked up six goals and 15 assists in 45 regular-season games.
He then added two markers and three helpers in 13 playoff games to help the Lakers secure the title.
The 24-year-old then joined the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL) and Grande Prairie Kings (NWJHL) the following season before committing to the Beavers for the 2015-16 season.
