Wisconsin falls 6-3 to Bemidji State in first round of NCAA Tournament

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team’s season ended abruptly Friday following a 6-3 loss to Bemidji State in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Bemidji State, one of five teams from Minnesota to make the national tournament, grabbed a 2-0 lead with goals by Ross Armour and Elias Rosen in the first period, the latter coming with 15 seconds left before the intermission.

Linus Weissbach got the Badgers on the scoreboard at the 2:38 mark of the second period, but Bemidji State rattled off three straight goals to claim a 5-1 advantage.

Wisconsin lit the lamp twice in the third period with a pair by the nation’s leading scorer Cole Caufield to make things interesting at 5-3, but it wasn’t enough. The Beavers added an empty-net goal with two seconds to play to put icing on the cake.

Wisconsin pulled goaltender Robbie Beydoun after two periods. Beydoun stopped 24 shots through the opening 40 minutes but allowed four goals. His replacement, Cameron Rowe, notched 10 saves and surrendered one goal.

Bemidji State advances to the national semifinals and will face the winner of the game between Lake Superior St. and Massachusetts on Saturday.