A quick glance at the Bemidji State hockey team's recent past may suggest the Beavers are not ready to make a run at their second straight Frozen Four appearance.

The previous three weekends have produced only two victories, and a roller-coaster brand of hockey has prevented the Beavers from building the momentum Michigan carries with it into Saturday's NCAA regional semifinal in Fort Wayne, Ind.

But delve deeper into Bemidji State's season and one will discover a team that, like the Wolverines, can boast a victory over Miami. The Beavers are 3-3-2 against CCHA competition and 14-3-1 in College Hockey America league play - all while only playing only five home games over their last 18 outings.

So when Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore considers his team's overall body of work, he can't help but think it's ready to try and earn a berth at next month's national championships in Detroit.

"We've been a little inconsistent over our our last five games, but when you factor how much we've been on the road and the difficult schedule we've played, yeah, I like where we're at right now," Serratore said Tuesday. "We've been able to win on the road, we've won at home and we've shown we're a hard-working team."

Despite a 2-2-2 record over the past three weeks, Bemidji State earned the midwest region's No. 2 seed while resting among the Top 10 ranked teams in the country. In addition to holding its own in eight CCHA games, the Beavers (23-9-4) also have wins over No. 14 Minnesota-Duluth and Alabama-Huntsville, which will also compete this weekend in Fort Wayne.

But Bemidji State's run to another NCAA berth isn't surprising considering what the Beavers pulled off last season. Bemidji shocked Notre Dame and then Cornell to earn its way into the Frozen Four. The Beavers lost to Miami (Ohio) in the national semifinals.

The Beavers strength of schedule has made them familiar with the style of hockey they'll see this weekend and, although they've struggled of late, last year's run makes Bemidji State a formidable opponent.

Despite being considered an underdog in this weekend's field, Bemidji State isn't beyond making another two-game statement to again reach the Frozen Four - and Michigan coach Red Berenson knows it.

"They're a legitimate team," Berenson said Sunday after the regional pairings were announced. "They came out of nowhere last year and they're not going to surprise anyone this year."

Given the tough road his team has faced this season, Serratore doesn't subscribe to the theory that the Beavers sneak up on anyone. Bemidji State is making its fourth Division I NCAA appearance after claiming five national championships at lower levels over the past two decades.

Although it would be easy to make returning to the Frozen Four a priority, Serratore hasn't allowed his players to focus on Detroit quite yet. Not with Michigan and its 25-win season standing in the way between the Beavers and Sunday's regional championship that will punch someone's ticket to Ford Field.

"I know it's an old coach's cliche' but we have to look at one game at a time," Serratore said. "If you look beyond that you're going to get kicked in the teeth."

The Beavers face one of the country's hottest teams in Michigan, which has strung together six straight wins while climbing to No. 11 in the the national polls. Although his team has never faced the Wolverines, Serratore considers Berenson's program the best in college hockey over the past 20 years.

Never mind the Wolverines' current string of success, Serratore said despite all the ups and downs Michigan's season has brought, this time of year may be the worst time to be facing the Wolverines.

"They're always dangerous. This is Michigan we're talking about," he said. "They're going to be the favorite in this game and I don't care what they've gone through this year, they've still won 25 games. And 25 wins is 25 wins."

Jeff Arnold covers Michigan hockey for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at jeffarnold@annarbor.com or 734-623-2554. Follow him at Twitter @jeffreyparnold.