Box Score Box score
BLAINE, Minn.—The Bethel University women's hockey team advanced to the second round of the 2013 MIAC Women's Hockey Playoffs with a 3-2 win at home Tuesday night over Saint Catherine University.
The Royals (15-9-2) trailed the Wildcats (11-12-3) early—trailing 1-0—but two quick goals in the final minutes of the first period gave BU the 2-1 advantage going into the first intermission break.
SCU knotted the game at 2-2 in the third period with a power play goal, but a clutch goal by
Cristina Masten (Jr., Fergus Falls, Minn.) with 2:42 left in the game gave Bethel the third straight win in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs.
Kasey Evans started the scoring for St. Kate's with a goal at the 7:06-mark in the first period, as she escaped both a Bethel defender and slid the puck past
Jess Newstrom (Sr., Cambridge, Minn.) in the net.
It took seven minutes and a number of opportunities, but the Royals were able to even the score with 5:39 left in the opening frame, as Masten fired her 23rd goal past the St. Catherine defender on a
Lindsay Burman (Jr., Stanchfield, Minn.) assist.
Kalie Johnson (So., Richfield, Minn.) willed the puck the SCU defense 2:21 later, when she finished assists by
Molly Eagles (Sr., Falcon Heights, MInn.) and Masten. The goal was Johnson's sixth of the season, while Eagles and Masten recorded their 10th and 13th assist.
Neither team scored in the second period, but it was St. Kate's who scored the game's next point, as Megan Killmer evened the contest with her fifth goal of the year at the 11:47 mark in the third frame.
The power play goal had the fans on edge throughout the next three minutes, until Masten answered the call for the second time of the night and the 14th time in the last eight games—as she pushed her goal total to 24 on the season, which ranks first in the Bethel University women's hockey record book. Masten's game-winner at the 17:18-mark in the third period came off both
Kalie Johnson and
Caroline Kivisto's (Fr., Dassell, Minn.) stick.
Beyond the influence of the point scorers,
Jess Newstrom was also exceptional in the net—finishing the playoff affair with 21 saves and two goals allowed. With the win, Newstrom improves to 8-5-2 on the season.
The win also gives the Royals another chance to play, as they travel to Gustavus Adolphus College Thursday night to take on the Gusties in St. Peter, Minn., for the semifinal matchup of the MIAC Playoffs. Bethel lost both contests against the Gusties in 2012-13 by the scores of 1-3 and 0-2, but GAC was flawless in conference play—finishing 18-0 against league opponents. Thursday's meeting between Bethel and Gustavus will be the third consecutive postseason the two teams meet. Tentative game time Thursday night is scheduled for 7 p.m.
