Box Score

BLAINE, Minn. - It wasn't the welcome back to the United States the Bethel Royals had hoped for. With many players still recovering from jet lag after their trip to Europe, St. Olaf came from behind and defeated Bethel 6-4 at home tonight in a non-conference game.

The Oles struck first by netting a goal less than seven minutes into the game. Bethel answered early in the second period when Tom Menozzi (So., Lakeville, Minn.) scored with the help of Brady Martin (Fr., Denver, Colo.). Barely four minutes later, the Royals took their first and only lead when Kent Bostrom (Sr., Vadnais Heights, Minn.) and Austin Hatch (Fr., Cloquet, Minn.) connected with Chris Fiala (Fr., Vadnais Heights, Minn.) who lit the lamp on a power play. For Bostrom, the assist gave him his 100th career point, making him just the 16th Royal to do so in the 31-year history of the team.

However, the Oles came came storming back, scoring four goals in the span of about six-and-a-half minutes of game time. Two of their goals came on power plays, while another was shorthanded.

But the resilient Royals would not go down without a fight. Jake Kogler (Fr., Forest Lake, Minn.) and Brad Peterson (Sr., Bloomington, Minn.) proved that Bethel, too, can score multiple goals quickly. The two scored just 33 seconds apart in the 14th minute of the third period. Eric Adams (Sr., Litchfield, Minn.) and Christian Ostigaard (Jr., Byers, Colo.) were credited with the assists on the Kogler goal, while Kogler and Brent Kettelkamp (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) earned assists on the Peterson goal.

Unfortunately, it would be too little, too late. The Royals attempted to pull goalie Patrick Kiely (Jr., Muskegon, Mich.) with just under a minute to play, but a face-off forced him to stay in the net. St. Olaf gained control of the puck and proceeded to tack on one more goal to effectively dash Bethel's hopes of tying the game and sending it into overtime.

Penalties were a major factor in the game, as St. Olaf capitalized on three of their seven opportunities, while Bethel scored just once in five chances with an extra skater.

The Royals fall to 6-7-1 overall and the Oles improve to 9-3-1 on their season. The Bethel skaters will have a week and a half to find their legs, as their next scheduled game is not until 7 p.m. on Friday, January 16, at home against Concordia-Moorhead.