Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS - In most hockey games, when your team is able to hold the opposition to zero goals through 60 minutes of play, there's a good chance that your team has won already. That was not the case for Bethel in their game against St. Catherine. Both teams played to a 0-0 draw through regulation, but it took less than a minute of overtime for a victor to emerge, and it wasn't the Royals.

Nicole Jones (So.,Mora, Minn.) has been down this road before. In her first collegiate game last season, she helped take the Royals into overtime against a strong Adrian team, only for Adrian to find a way to win in overtime. There have been other instances where the sophomore goaltender has played about as well as anyone could ask, only to come up on the short end of a one-goal decision.

Jones fended off 26 shorts on goal against the second place team in the conference, but it was the one that got through that made the difference, and it just happened to be on a power play. The Royals fired 21 shots on goal against the Wildcat goalie, but none of them "had eyes" to find a crack and light the lamp.

IBoth teams played a very clean and efficient game as Bethel only had four power play opportunities all game, while the Wildcats capitalized on their third chance to skate with an extra attacker.

The loss drops Bethel to 5-7 in the MIAC and 5-12 overall, while St. Catherine improves to 13-4 overall and 9-3 in the conference. The Royals will try to get back on the winning track on Tuesday as they again take on a very good team in UW-River Falls. The puck is scheduled to drop at the Schwan's Super Rink at 7 p.m. for that game.