The U of M Bisons men’s hockey team kicked off 2025 with a pair of exhibition games against the Bemidji State Beavers and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, but unfortunately, they came up empty-handed, losing both games 5-0. The games were played on away ice, leaving the Bisons with a lot to learn to have a successful season.
The Bisons men’s hockey team had a fantastic start to the season in October 2024, winning games against the Regina Cougars, MacEwan Griffins and earning a point against the Saskatchewan Huskies, who rank second in the Canada West East division standings. The Bisons finished 2024 in fourth place, just two points above the Cougars and 20 points behind the leading Alberta Golden Bears.
Before the holidays, the Bisons won against great teams and even got a point from the Huskies. In their last games leading up to the holidays, the team lost one and won one against the Cougars. This places the team in a good spot to contest for the league, with 12 more games to play.
On Friday, Jan. 3, the Bisons played against the Beavers in Minnesota, losing 1-0 in the first, 1-0 in the second and 3-0 in the third period. The first goal was scored in the first period by Reilly Funk at 4:10, while the second goal was scored in the second period by Jaksen Panzer at 15:46.
The last three goals were scored in the third period by forward Adam Flammang at 4:08, Panzer at 7:26 and Carter Randklev at 12:40. Despite the Bisons’ beautiful chances, they could not find the back of the net, leaving the Beavers with a clean sweep.
The following day, the Bisons faced the Fighting Hawks in their second exhibition game in North Dakota and received another defeat. The results followed the same pattern as the previous game, with the Fighting Hawks scoring one goal in each of the first two periods and three goals in the third.
The first goal was scored by Mac Swanson at 16:24, the second goal by Dalton Andrew at 6:08 in the second period, while the third goal was scored by defender Dane Montgomery at 3:28. Forward Carter Wilkie and forward Cody Croal also scored in the final period, giving the Fighting Hawks a clean sweep as well.
In the game against the Fighting Hawks, the Bisons had one power play opportunity in the second period, while the Fighting Hawks had one power play in the third period. Against the Beavers, the Bisons had one power play in the third period, while the Beavers had two power plays — one in the second period and one in the third period.
These teams’ opportunities will be crucial in their upcoming conference games, and the Bisons will look to capitalize on these losses for another chance in their own season games.
It was apparent that both the Beavers and Fighting Hawks showed consistency in their scoring, with one goal in each of the first two periods and multiple goals in the third period. This suggests that the opponents exploited the Bisons’ fatigue in the third period to win. Although the Bisons lost the two exhibition games, it provided an opportunity for the team to regroup, refocus and make necessary adjustments before their first conference games this weekend.
The Bisons men’s hockey team will play two conference games against Trinity Western Spartans on Friday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. CST and Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. CST at the Wayne Fleming Arena.
