Minot State hockey is right where it wants to be heading into its winter break.

The No. 2 Beavers, ranked behind only Adrian College in the ACHA Top 25 poll, have raced out to another dominating start at 20-2-1. MSU closed the first half on a five-game winning streak and resumes play Jan. 11 against No. 10 University of Nevada Las Vegas at Maysa Arena.

“It’s certainly a good start for our program,” MSU coach Wade Regier said. “We knew we were going to contend and we’re going for it, it’s no secret with this many seniors. It’s championship or bust, and it’s a good start. We’ve had stretches where we haven’t played well but if our guys can get hot we’ll be where we want to be.”

The bread and butter of the Beavers has been their defense, as they’ve allowed the second fewest goals in the ACHA (33 goals in 23 games). Veteran defensemen Austin Yano, Eric Bollefer, Kyle Lipinski, Carey Morrison, Paul O’Connor, Reece Forman and Morgen Martelle have been crucial by preventing many scoring chances for opponents.

“I think more than anything else it’s our team buying in defensively,” Regier said. “We’re going to outshoot and out chance almost every team we play. There’s no reason to be aggressive and expose ourselves to two-on-ones or anything. We feel we have the deepest defensive core in the country and if they play well, it will create a lot of turnover opportunities. We’re going to need that in the second half and if we keep playing like we can, that’s what you look for in any championship program.”

MSU has also been boosted by its goaltending, as goalies Holden Kurtz and Joshua Bykowski are No. 2 and No. 3 in the ACHA in goals against average. Kurtz has allowed 1.09 goals per game in nine starts, while Bykowski is giving up 1.45 goals per contest in 11 games.

“They’ve been playing superb for us,” Regier said. “It’s no secret we’ve had good goaltending all season long. Their play is encouraging because If you don’t have good goaltending, you’re not going anywhere at the end of the season. Both of those guys have improved tremendously from last year and you can see it in their confidence every night.”

Offensively, no player has numbers that jump off the charts, but the Beavers have compiled a balanced offensive attack with 12 players boasting at least 10 points. Lyndon Lipinski leads the Beavers in points (12 goals, 10 assists), while Dylan Johnson (11 goals, seven assists) and Yano (10 goals, six assists) aren’t far behind.

“We don’t have someone who’s going to be top five in scoring and as a team we don’t have a pure goal scorer. But we do have the best balance in the country,” Regier said. “Ohio and Adrian each have one huge scoring line, but I don’t think you can find a team that’s as balanced as our team is. It allows us to be in a position where if one line has an off night, we’re confident the other lines can pick us up.”

Heading into the second half, Regier already knows his team’s greatest area for improvement.

“Our power play, no question,” Regier said. “Our power play hasn’t been consistent and we need to be consistent in both of our special teams units. If we’re not doing it schematically, we need to do it the blue collar way and just go get a goal. We need to get better there, because nationals games are so good and so tight that converting on penalty chances can be the difference in a championship and going home early.”

Garrick Hodge covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @Garrick_Hodge.