BLAINE, Minn. - Despite the beautiful fall weather that has embraced us, Bethel's hockey team is pushing winter. The Royals begin the 2011-12 campaign tonight at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minn., where they will face Augsburg College at 6:30 p.m. on the north rink. Live stats for the matchup can be viewed here, alongside live video here. Following Friday's competition will be a dual against Hamline at 4 p.m. in the same arena on the south rink. Live stats for Saturday's game can be seen here.

Bethel enters the 2011-12 with a renewed sense of optimism after finishing ninth in conference play in coach Charlie Burggraf's first season at the helm. “We can only go up from here,” quipped Burggraf. The Royals will rely on a mix of upper classmen and promising young recruits to lead them back to the perennial playoff team they were from the 2004-05 season through 2007-08.
 
Bethel returns a pair of All-MIAC First-Teamers in defenseman Jon Crouse (Jr., Alexandria, Minn.) and forward Jack Paul (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.). Paul closed out his sophomore campaign as the team's leader in goals (22) and points (35), while Crouse scored five goals and added 18 assists for 23 points. Paul and Crouse were two of eight Royals who recorded 10 or more points during the 2010-11 campaign — with only graduated senior Christian Fogerty (7 G, 18 A, 25 Pts) not on this year's roster. Paul's 22 goals accounted for nearly one-third of the team's 79 goals scored last season, and put him atop the MIAC in the goals scored category.
 
Jake Kogler (Sr., Forest Lake, Minn.), Austin Hatch (Sr., Cloquet, Minn.) and Chris Fiala (Sr., Vadnais Heights, Minn.) also add some valuable experience and offensive firepower.
 
The Royals have added some depth in key positions this year through deliberate and intensified recruiting efforts. Rookie goaltender Robby Brown (Fr., Brattleboro, Vt.) and transfer Dan Harper (Fr., Blaine, Minn.) will anchor the net. Meanwhile, incoming standout defensemen, Tyler Swanson (Fr., Fargo, N.D.), and forwards Grant Dye (Fr., Anchorage, Alaska) and EJ Gann (Fr., Mountain View, Calif.) are among the newcomers that will also provide some depth.
 
Also returning to the Bethel bench is assistant coach Darin Thompson, a defensive specialist who played for Bethel in the late 80s and early 90s. Thompson served as the top assistant with the program for several years before taking on high school coaching jobs at Blaine and Minnehaha Academy.