Submitted Photo The Beavers men’s hockey team give each other high fives during a game. Photo by Sean Arbaut, courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Coming off a pair of wins over then No. 8-ranked Maryville, the Minot State men’s hockey team has climbed one spot in the latest ACHA poll.

The Beavers (3-0-1 overall) moved up to the No. 2 spot in the nation in the ACHA Division I Men’s Hockey Poll released this week after beating Maryville 3-1 and 5-2 over the weekend at the Maysa Arena.

The move up one spot sets the stage for a big mid-week matchup for Minot State as the 2nd-ranked Beavers will host No. 1-ranked and reigning ACHA National Champion UNLV on Tuesday, October 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Maysa Arena.

Before that one-vs-two battle hits the ice, though, Minot State plays a weekend series at No. 25-ranked Midland (Neb.) this Friday and Saturday.

UNLV (4-0-0) retained the top spot in this week’s poll with 774 points and 32 first-place votes, while the Beavers moved up to No. 2 with 718 points and one first-place vote. Ohio (8-0-0) was No. 3, up two spots, with 694 points and one first-place vote, Adrian (Mich.) (6-1-1) fell two spots to No. 4, with 682 points and the final first-place vote, and Liberty (Va.) (8-1-0) was up one spot to No. 5, with 675 points.

The Beavers’ in-state rival Jamestown (7-1-0) remained at No. 6 with 623 points, while in-state rival Mary (8-3-0) moved up two spots to No. 12 with 407 points.

Minot State split with Jamestown in the Beavers’ opening weekend, with the Jimmies’ win coming in overtime. Minot State will host Mary on Halloween in the teams’ first meeting of the season.