Nathan Beitler/MDN File photo of redshirt junior Kiku Parker Jr. as he drives the ball to the hoop in the Beavers’ home game against the Bismarck State College Mystics on Nov. 19.

The Minot State Beavers men’s hockey team is back on the road following two contentious games at home as they take on the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Thursday, Dec. 18.

The Beavers are heading to Duluth after a pair of home games against the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons and the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles on Thursday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 13 respectively. The Dragons took down the Beavers 90-79 after a close first half. The Beavers came back in their next game against the Golden Eagles, winning 69-61 and leading the entire second half of the game. The Beavers’ victory over the Golden Eagles gave them back their winning season record at 6-5 overall and a record of 3-2 in conference play.

The Beavers are taking their winning record on the road to Duluth on Thursday to take on the Bulldogs at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers have a nearly even record with the Bulldogs historically. The two teams have faced off 23 times since 2013 with the Beavers winning just 10 times over the last 12 years. The teams played their last two times in Minot in early 2024 and earlier this year. The Beavers took down the Bulldogs in their last match up 75-68 after coming back from a five-point deficit in the second half.

The Beavers have scored a total of 1708 points against the Bulldogs over their 23 games, averaging 74.26 points per game. Redshirt junior Deuce Benjamin is the current lead scorer for the Beavers, totalling 233 points on the season. Minot State junior and former Minot High Magician Darik Dissette is second up in points for the Beavers, scoring 166 points over the course of the season.

The Bulldogs are entering into Thursday’s game with a 7-4 record on the season. They are coming off of a close loss to the University of Jamestown Jimmies 70-71. The Bulldogs’ top scorer of the season is redshirt junior Caleb Siwek. Siwek has a total of 186 points on the season with a .466 field goal percentage.

The game will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Romano Gymnasium at the University of Minnesota in Duluth, MN.