ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. –– Bethel fell 2–4 against MSOE on Saturday afternoon in a non-conference match up at St. Louis Park Recreation Center, despite a steady pace and physical play throughout all three periods. The Raiders improved to 7-5-1 on the season, while Bethel fell to 5-6-0.
Bethel struck first midway through the opening period when Joseph Yoon, for his first NCAA goal, opened the scoring at the 15:30 mark, finishing an even-strength opportunity off a setup from Spencer Kring to give the Royals an early 1–0 advantage. The lead was short-lived, however, as MSOE responded just 15 seconds later when Brennan Dickey netted the equalizer at 15:45, assisted by Nikolai Charchenko and Jackson Yee, sending the game into the first intermission tied 1–1. Both teams generated quality chances in the opening frame, with each side recording double-digit shots and trading momentum early.
MSOE took the lead late in the second period by capitalizing on a power-play opportunity, as Sam Lyons scored at the 18:39 mark to give the Raiders a 2–1 advantage heading into the second intermission. The goal, assisted by Cole Beilke and Rylan Jockims, came during a physical middle frame that featured increased intensity and a major penalty assessed to MSOE. Bethel created chances throughout the period but was unable to find the equalizer before the break.
The Raiders added to their lead early in the third period when Charles Fink scored at 3:16 to make it 3–1, before Jack Karges followed with an insurance goal just over a minute later at 4:20, extending the margin to three. Bethel answered midway through the period on the power play, as Tyler Kostelecky scored at 9:55 with assists from Kring and Tyler Braccini to pull the Royals within two. Bethel continued to push offensively down the stretch and pulled the goalie in the final minutes, but MSOE was able to hold on and close out the game.
Austin Ryman made 29 saves for the Royals, while MSOE's Austin Schwab stopped 31 shots to earn the win. Both teams finished with 33 shots on goal, and special teams factored into the outcome as Bethel went 1-for-4 on the power play and MSOE finished 1-for-3.
The Royals will take a break from competition and return to play on Saturday, January 3rd at 5 p.m. against St. Olaf at the National Sports Center for another non-conference match up.
