Box Score

BLAINE, Minn. - Long awaited though it was, the Bethel Royals earned their first win of the season tonight over visiting the visiting Concordia Cobbers. Paige Lemieux (So., Fargo, N.D.) went top shelf, unassisted, with 6:26 remaining to give Bethel a 3-2 win. 

Bethel took an early 1-0 lead at 17:25 in the first period when Allison Papko (Jr., Winnepeg, Manitoba) was credited with an unassisted goal. The Royals tacked on another goal less than four minutes later when Anna Carlson (So., Roseville, Minn.) scored her first goal of the season a slapshot from just inside the blue line, with assists going to Rachael Geng (So., South St. Paul, Minn.) and Papko.

However, before the period was out, the Cobbers managed to trim Bethel's lead to just one goal when Kayla Hendrickson scored with the help of Katelyn Dold and Jenna Westerham. Westerham then tied the game just 57 seconds into the second period with the help of Dold.

From that point, the game turned into a defensive battle as neither team scored for the next 30-plus minutes. With the puck bouncing around in the Bethel zone, Lemieux picked it up and went coast to coast before lighting the lamp for what would prove to be the game winner.

As a team, the Royals out-played and out-hustled a physical Concordia team. Jess Newstrom (Fr., Cambridge, Minn.) earned her first collegiate win by stopping 32 shots between the pipes. The Royals were penalized just three times compared to five for the Cobbers. However, Bethel was unable to capitalize on a pair of brief 5-on-3 opportunities.

With the win, the Royals improve to 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the MIAC. Concordia falls to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference as well with the loss. The same two teams face off against each other again tomorrow beginning at 3 p.m. at Bethel University Arena.