BLAINE, Minn. – Two unfortunate goals allowed early on in the MIAC matchup between BU and St. Thomas proved to be the deciding factor in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Tommies. The Royals outshot the Tommies in tonight's contest 42-31, but a goal within the first two minutes of play and an own-goal nearly three minutes later put UST ahead to stay. St. Thomas ended the competition with an empty net goal in the final minutes, sealing Bethel's defeat 3-0.
Both team's fired 13 shots at the opposing net in the opening frame, while it was only the Tommies that capitalized on two goals. The first UST goal came on a back-door goal that deflected off goalie
Jess Newstrom's (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) stick and found the poke of a St. Thomas forward. Three minutes later a puck came squandering into the BU side and while Newstrom went out to stop the puck, a Bethel skater was forced into a slide that took her and the puck into the net.
In the second and third periods Bethel dominated the shot charts, outshooting the visiting Tommies 29-19. The Royals speed and defensive quickness kept the St. Thomas shot attempts at a minimum and the BU fans at the edge of the seat. Despite several chances and a handful of grunts from the crowd, Bethel handed UST two points after tonight's 60-minute battle.
Charise Kendrick (So., Scandia, Minn.),
Kalie Johnson (Fr., Richfield, Minn.) and Anna Carleson (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) led the Royals with five shots fired, while a slew of skaters tallied four. Newstrom stopped 28 goal-scoring opportunities for BU.
Alise Riedel was a stone wall in the net for UST though, as any puck that seemed to have a chance was blocked with some portion of her body. The Tommie defense also fulfilled its role of quickly ridding the puck from its territory throughout the entire game.
The Royals fall to 6-5-0 in MIAC play, and despite leading the Tommies by one point previous to tonight's matchup, now trail UST by one point. BU will try to redeem itself on the road tomorrow night in the second game of the two-day double-header.
