ST. PETER, Minn. – Bethel women's hockey came up just short Friday night, dropping a 0–1 decision to Gustavus Adolphus in a tightly contested MIAC matchup at Lund Arena. The Royals were locked into a defensive battle from start to finish, with scoring chances limited and special teams playing a key role throughout the night.
The opening period set the tone as both teams skated physically and stayed disciplined defensively. Bethel earned an early power-play opportunity after a Gustavus interference penalty at 3:10 and generated sustained zone time, with sophomores Siri Olson and Afton Hulke creating looks from the slot, but the Royals were unable to capitalize. Neither team broke through in the first, keeping the game scoreless after 20 minutes.
The lone goal of the game came midway through the second period at 11:48, when Gustavus converted on a transition chance to take a 1–0 lead. Bethel continued to push back, earning another power-play opportunity earlier in the frame, but came up empty. The Royals were forced to kill off multiple penalties in the period, including hooking and late pressure situations, and held strong to keep the deficit at one heading into the third.
Bethel made an all-out push in the final period, battling through several penalty-kill situations and continuing to generate offense at even strength. Freshmen Rylen Kissell and Olivia Martin, along with Hulke, all created chances as the Royals looked for the equalizer, but time expired before Bethel could break through. Despite the loss, Bethel's penalty kill limited damage and kept the game within reach until the final horn.
In net, senior Ashley Gustafson (Hess) turned in a strong performance, stopping 25 shots and keeping Bethel in the game throughout all three periods. Gustafson tracked pucks well through traffic and made several key saves during extended defensive sequences as the Royals fought to stay within one.
Bethel will look to respond quickly as the Royals face Gustavus Adolphus again Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Bethel University Arena at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., closing out the MIAC series on home ice.
