MENOMONIE, Wis. – Bethel University's men's hockey team fell 8–2 on the road Friday night against UW–Stout, as the Blue Devils used a fast start and heavy pressure to take control early at the Fanetti Community Center.

Stout opened the scoring at 12:27 of the first period with a power-play goal from Maksis Brimanis, then doubled the lead at 16:19 when Jake McAlpine scored on another man-advantage. The Blue Devils kept pushing, adding an even-strength goal from Will Sinclair at 18:54 before Hayden Stocks capped off a dominant opening frame with a power-play tally at 19:59, sending Bethel into the locker room trailing 4–0.

The Blue Devils struck again early in the second when Stocks added his second of the night at 9:57 to make it 5–0. Bethel finally responded at 10:45, when Nate McIsaac finished off a strong rush to put the Royals on the scoreboard. The momentum carried into the closing minutes of the period as Tyler Braccini scored at 18:58 to cut the deficit to 6–2. But Stout answered before the horn with a shorthanded goal from Nicholas Stevens at 13:41, restoring the Blue Devils' four-goal lead.

In the third period, Stout put the game fully out of reach as Evan Luxford scored unassisted at 7:10, and Nicolas Pigeon added another at 8:19, bringing the final score to 8–2.

Bethel goaltender Austin Ryman made the start and played 39:52, while Devin Stephens finished the final period between the pipes. The Royals generated 34 shots on goal but were unable to recover from Stout's early surge and special-teams production.

Bethel now turns its attention to its next matchup as the Royals continue their Wisconsin road swing. They will face UW–Superior on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. CT in Superior, Wis., looking to bounce back and close the weekend on a stronger note.