BLAINE, Minn. – After a split last weekend against St. Olaf, including a 5-4 overtime loss Saturday, the Royals rebounded with a 3-2 win over St. Catherine University. Junior
Molly Eagles (Jr., Falcon Heights, Minn.) found the net on a power play goal with less than five minutes left in the final period, propelling Bethel to its seventh win of the season.
The game opened moderately slowly, as neither team composed a goal in the first frame. The Royals did, however, outshoot the Wildcats 11-5, putting the puck in SCU's territory throughout the majority of the period.
The second segment of 20 minutes welcomed three goals.
Kaylen Erchul (Fr., Gilbert, Minn.) fired the opening goal eight minutes into the period on a puck that came from
Haley Toter (Sr., Park Ridge, Ill.) and
Rachael Geng (Sr., South Saint Paul, Minn.). For Toter, it's her second assist of the season, while Geng tallied her 11
th. The Royals surrendered a goal three minutes later, only to earn it back five minutes later on a
Cristina Masten (So., Fergus Falls, Minn.) tip-in goal. Masten's goal came off a
Biz Huss (Jr., Beaver Bay, Minn.) shot attempt that glazed Masten's stick on the way through the Wildcat net.
St. Kates manufactured the equalizer four minutes into the third period, knotting the game at two until the 15-minute mark when
Molly Eagles capitalized on a power-play opportunity from a shot near the blue line that flew by the SCU goalie in the upper left hand corner of the net. Eagles' goal, from
Kate Wahlin (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.), sealed the 3-2 victory for BU.
In the contest
Rachael Geng,
Molly Eagles, and
Anna Carlson (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) led Bethel with four shots each. The Royals outshot the Wildcats 30-27 and kept St. Catherine scoreless in power play opportunities.
Jess Newstrom (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) allowed two goals, yet saved 25 SCU shot attempts.
BU now travels to St. Paul tomorrow to face St. Kates in game two of the two-day double-header. Bethel will need to lock in another victory in tomorrow's 2 p.m. matinee to keep its playoff position still in tact.
