BEMIDJI, Minn. — Atte Tolvanen made 28 saves, and Philip Beaulieu netted his first career goal, but the Northern Michigan hockey team fell to No. 13/14 Bemidji State, 2-1, Friday night at the Sanford Center.

The teams combined to score all three of the game's goals in a six-minute span during the first period. Gerry Fitzgerald's marker at 15:23 proved to be the difference as Michael Bitzer made eight of his 16 saves in the second and third frames to hold the Wildcats at bay.

Beaulieu opened the scoring at 11:19, firing a shot from the right point past Bitzer's glove into the upper right corner of the net.

Brendan Harms responded less than a minute later, wrapping around the net and sliding the puck through Tolvanen's five hole.

Fitzgerald took a feed from Harms and fired a slap shot on net that hit Tolvanen in the chest and deflected over his shoulder and into the net.

The middle stanza was quiet, with the teams combining to take only 12 shots. In the third, seconds after the game's lone man advantage expired, Troy Loggins was sprung on a breakway, but he sent his shot just wide of the post.

At the halfway mark of the frame, Filip Starzynski nearly netted his third goal in five games, but he fired his shot off the post and out.

With their win, the Beavers remain undefeated in WCHA play at 10-0-1. The Wildcats fall to 3-9-1 (1-7-1 WCHA) with the loss.

The teams return to the ice tomorrow, with puck drop slated for 8:07 p.m.

NOTES: Bemidji State leads the all-time series, 8-4-3 ... The Beavers are the first ranked team the Wildcats have taken on this season ... Northern Michigan took a season-low single penalty in the game ... Beaulieu ran his point streak to three games with his first career strike; he has four points (1g-3a) in that span ... Beaulieu is the seventh Wildcat to register his first career goal this season ... This was the first time Northern Michigan lost when it opened the scoring; the Wildcats were 3-0 entering this game.