General Information:
School: Bethel University
Founded: 1947
Location: St. Paul, MN
Enrollment: 6,300 (2,900 undergrad)
President: Jay Barnes
Athletic Director: Bob Bjorklund
Team Nickname: Royals
Colors: Navy Blue and Vegas Gold
Arena: Bethel University Arena
Capacity: 1,200
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Joel Johnson
Alma Mater/Year: Bethel College/1996
Record at school (years): 28-19-3 (3rd season)
Career record: same
Assistant Coaches :
Chris Carroll (Head Assistant)
Ryan Adams
Jeff Moen
Matt Millar
2008-09 Record:
Overall record last year: 12-12-1
Conference record/finish: 8-8/6th
Returning Key Players :
Aaron Damjanovich - Goalie, (Sr., Remer, Minn.) - Two-time All-MIAC
Kyle Dynan - Defense, (Sr., Orono, Minn.)
Chris Fiala - Forward, (So., Vadnais Heights, Minn.) - USCHO.com All-West Region Rookie Honorable Mention
Tom Menozzi - Forward, (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.)
Mason Swenson - Defense, (So., Eagan, Minn.) - 14 points as freshman
Key Newcomers :
Jake Calleja - Forward (Fr., New Richmond, Wis.)
Jon Crouse - Defense (Fr., Alexandria, Minn.)
Jack Paul - Forward (Fr., Minnetonka, Minn.)
Malcolm Richards - Forward (Fr., Yorktown, Va.)
Season Outlook
The 2009-10 campaign for the Bethel Royals men’s hockey team is going to feature many new faces. With more than 20 players identified as “freshman” or “sophomore” the Royals will definitely be a youthful team. Aaron Damjanovich (Sr., Remer, Minn.), Kyle Dynan (Sr., Orono, Minn.), and Christian Ostigaard (Sr., Byers, Colo.) are the elder statesmen of the Bethel team this season, and they will lead with the help of Tom Menozzi (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.), Christian Fogerty (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.), and Lukas Jorgensen (Jr., Little Falls, Minn.), who all have plenty of experience.
Bethel has developed into a program with high expectations every year, yet the Royals lost five significant players from last season’s team. Graduating forwards Kent Bostrom, Brad Peterson, and Eric Adams were a large part of the offense for Bethel in years past, and they will be sorely missed. The Bethel blue line also loses two veterans with the graduation of Brent Kettelkamp and John Kovacs. Replacing so many all-conference players let alone the leadership on and off the ice will be a tall, but not impossible order to fill.
OFFENSE
Helping the cause up front will be senior forward Ostigaard, and junior forwards Menozzi, Fogerty, and Jorgensen, who each bring different skills and abilities that should help Bethel become a well rounded offensive team. Bethel also looks to Jake Kogler (So., Forest Lake, Minn.), and USCHO All-Rookie West Region Honorable Mention skater Chris Fiala (So., Vadnais Heights, Minn.) to provide scoring punch as two of the best sophomore forwards in the conference. Jack Paul (Fr., Minnetonka, Minn.), Jake Calleja (Fr., New Richmond, Wis.), and a host of other newcomers will be expected to contribute as well. Bethel brings in a top-notch group of freshman forwards including Malcolm Richards (Fr., Yorktown, Va.), Jake Irey (Fr., Waterloo, Iowa), Nik Vanvonderen (Fr., Hayward, Wis.), Josh Simi (Fr., Apple Valley, Minn.), Steffen Hansen (Fr., Blaine, Minn.), and Corey Grandner (Fr., Champlin, Minn.).
DEFENSE
On defense the Royals bring back veteran Dynan and Mason Swenson (So., Eagan, Minn.), who both will see their share of ice time this year. Austin Hatch (So., Cloquet, Minn.) is coming off of a great freshman year and should see an increased role for Bethel this year. Returning D-men Zack McGough (So., Roseville, Minn.), and Blake Jenkins (So., Brookfield, Wis.) look to solidify the blue line and provide some depth. Newcomer Jon Crouse (Fr., Alexandria, Minn.) is a key addition to the Bethel defensive core and freshman Taylor Tollette (Fr., Andover, Minn.) also looks to have an impact as well.
GOALTENDER
Bethel will rely on two-time All-MIAC goalie Damjanovich to provide consistency and leadership between the pipes. The Royals will also have plenty of competition in goal with newcomers like Zac Bush (Fr., Tyler, Texas) and Michael Sperl (Fr., Little Falls, Minn.).
The Royals have established themselves as a top program in a very tough MIAC conference. The bar has been set high in recent years past with playoff performances, an MIAC conference regular season title, a MIAC playoff championship, and the advancement to the quarterfinals of the NCAA national tournament. The expectations for Bethel hockey are high, and though there will be some learning to do along the way, with the right blend of veterans and new faces, the Royals hope to find themselves in the playoff hunt again come March.
