NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Bethel University men's hockey team couldn't fully recover from a two-goal deficit at the end of the first intermission, falling on the road to St. Olaf Saturday evening, 5-2.
 
Back on the ice for its first competition in 18 days, Bethel was narrowly outshot 27-23 while Jake Herter scored his fourth goal of the season and Ben Doherty tallied his second goal in four games.
 
St. Olaf's Tyler Cooper started a four-goal evening putting the Oles on the board first 16:32 into the first. An Oles' goal 47 seconds later sent Bethel into the first intermission trailing by a pair of goals.
 
Bethel failed to light the lamp on two power-play opportunities in the second until Doherty got the Royals on the board 15:56 into the period. He was set up on assists from Braeden Bartoo and Herter.
 
The Oles pushed BU's deficit back to two less than two minutes later before heading into the second break.
 
Coming in with the nation's second-best penalty kill, the Royals killed off the Oles second man advantage of the night to start the third. A tripping penalty a few minutes later sent BU back on the penalty kill where 1:11 into it the Royals gave up only their second power-play goal of the season.
 
The Royals tallied a power play goal of their own from Herter at the 10:57 mark cutting the Oles lead to 4-2. BU pulled netminder Ridge Gerads for the extra skater with 2:12 remaining, but 10 seconds later surrendered an empty net goal.
 
Gerads finished the evening with 22 saves.
 
The Royals head into the Christmas break 6-3-1 on the year and 2-2-1 in MIAC play where they sit seventh with 11 points and 11 more conference games to go. BU returns to the ice New Year's Eve at 7 p.m. hosting Lake Forest College.