ST. PAUL, Minn. — Bethel men's hockey fell 2–3 in overtime to Hamline on Saturday afternoon, despite striking first and rallying late to force the extra frame.
The Royals opened the scoring midway through the first period when sophomore forward Max Hamstad finished off a feed from Chase Beacom and George Peterson at 6:35, giving Bethel the early lift they were looking for. Hamline answered quickly in the second, tying the game just 39 seconds in on a goal from Will Matzke. The Pipers carried that momentum through the period and claimed a 2–1 lead at 12:20 when Tyler Jordan buried a chance set up by Dom Thomas and Liam Guerin.
Bethel refused to let the game slip away. Just 48 seconds into the third period, freshman forward Peyton Blair jumped on an opportunity and snuck the puck past Keaton French to even the score, with Joe Westlund collecting the assist. The Royals continued to generate chances—outshooting the Pipers and winning the majority of faceoffs—but couldn't convert on any of their three power-play opportunities as French turned aside 26 of Bethel's 28 shots.
In overtime, Hamline delivered the decisive blow. At 2:15, AJ Carls found space and finished off a setup from Brock Carls to secure the win for the Pipers.
Marco Duronio stopped 17 shots for Bethel, anchoring a strong defensive effort that kept the Royals within reach throughout the night. But the missed chances—particularly on the man advantage—proved costly as Bethel slipped to 3–4–0 on the season.
