The two-game losing streak is history and one of the best seasons in program history continues for the Bethel Royals.
Winners of just 10 games a season ago, Bethel is 11-4-2 overall and tied for first in the MIAC (5-2-1) after dominating Augsburg 5-0 Saturday night to salvage a split in their weekend series.
The five goal, shutout win is the biggest win over the Auggies since 2007 when the Royals also won by a 5-0 score. Saturday’s win avenges Friday’s 4-3 loss to Augsburg.
Five different players scored as Bethel’s balance continues to shine through. Joe Westlund, Luke Anderson, Tyler Braccini, Tyler Kostelecky and Ben Doherty all scored and Spencer King played a big role in the offensive success as he dished out three assists.
Travis Allen did his part between the pipes, racking up 17 saves and notching his fifth win.
An eight-game winning streak that Bethel carried into the 2024 half of the season has been instrumental in getting Bethel to this point in the season.
They started off the new year 1-2 but have momentum on their side again after dispatching the Auggies.
Three players on this Bethel team have double-digit point totals, led by Kostelcky, who has scored nine goals and dished out six assists.
Justin Kelley has racked up a team-high 12 assists to go along with a couple of goals and Jack Brown has tallied four goals and six assists.
Eight other players have registered at least five points, including Braccini (5 goals, 4 assists) and Doherty (4 goals, 5 assists).
Bethel is certainly a contender, but one thing to watch is the remaining stretch for the Royals, who will play five of eight away from home, including the next three. The Royals are 7-1 at home this season and 3-3-2 on the road.
Here’s a look at some of the other highlights from the weekend.
Historic moment for Spartans
Fourteen games into its inaugural season, Dubuque just couldn’t find a win.
But game No. 15 on the schedule turned out to be different as the Spartans blanked Concordia 3-0 in NCHA action.
Phil Schader and Max Messier pushed Dubuque ahead 2-0 after two periods.
An empty net goal by Lyncoln Bielenberg in the final minute of the game sealed the deal on first win for the Spartans, who are under the direction of former Northland coach Seamus Gregory.
Chris Curr helped Dubuque secure the victory with a 44-save effort in goal, with 15 of those serves coming in the final period of play.
Dubuque wasn’t able to carry that momentum into Sunday’s finale, losing 3-2 to the Falcons, and are now 1-13-2 on the year.
The Spartans have played tough throughout the first couple of months of the season, losing twice by a goal and even hanging with nationally ranked St. Scholastica in a game on Dec. 29. The Spartans were tied 1-1 with the Saints after one before falling 5-2.
Upset Alert
On paper, UW-Eau Claire’s 5-2 win over St. Scholastica is an upset. The Blugolds are ranked 12th and the Saints are sixth in the USCHO.com poll. But we’re talking two of the better teams in the country here, so a win either way really isn’t a surprise.
For the Blugolds, scoring five goals over the final two periods was the difference on a memorable night where the 1984 national championship team was honored.
It’s the first time UW-Eau Claire has scored five goals in a game since Nov. 25 when it beat St. Norbert 5-3.
Aaron Swanson tied the game at 1-1 in the second period with his fifth goal of the year.
The game was tied at 2-2 as well before Kyle Olesiuk punched in the game-winning goal for a 3-2 lead.
Olesiuk was one of three players to record a muti-point night. Ryan Green dished out two assists and Tyler Herzberg had an assist to go along with his fifth goal of the year.
Max Gutjahr was once again clutch in goal. He stopped 22 shots to help the Blugolds go to 9-6-1 on the season.
Tristan Shewchuk and Carsen Richels scored goals for the Saints, who dropped to 12-3.
What a weekend for the Pipers
Talk about winning the weekend on the road. Hamline did just that Friday and Saturday, picking up wins over two of the best teams in the WIAC.
The Pipers upset No. 12 UW-Eau Claire 5-1 on Friday and scored five goals again on Saturday in a shutout win over UW-Superior.
Bailey Sommers led the way in the upset of the Blugolds, scoring twice. Kyle Mortenson dished out a pair of assists and Keaton Woodley dominated in goal, racking up 28 saves.
Hamline scored the first three goals and won despite being outshot 29-18.
The Pipers stretched their unbeaten streak to three games Saturday with an impressive win over the Yellowjackets.
Maximilian Haselbacher made his presence felt in that victory, turning in a 40-save effort for his second shutout victory of the year. The Pipers scored all of their goals in the second period while Jordan Halverson tallied a pair of assists as Hamline improved to 6-8-1.
Overtime thriller
Nothing came easy for UW-Stevens Point in a battle at home against Saint John’s Saturday. The Pointers and Johnnies played to a 1-1 tie, with Saint John’s Bailey Huber coming through with 44 saves.
Noah Finstrom gave UW-Stevens Point the lead a little over three minutes into the action. Just over 11 minutes later, Jack Wanamacher tied the score. Neither team scored from there.
Alex Proctor was busy in goal for the Pointers, racking up 29 saves.
UW-Stevens Point is 12-3-1 and Saint John’s is now 6-8-3.
Green Knights split with Spartans
St. Norbert settled for a split with Aurora in a key NCHA series. The Green Knights remain two points ahead of the Spartans in the standings, good enough for third place.
St. Norbert was playing its first game in 41 days on Friday but shook off the rust fast as it raced out to a 3-1 lead after one period and that set the tone for a 3-2 win, its seventh victory in the last eight games.
Braden Lindstrom, Liam Fraser and T.J. Koufis all scored, with Fraser notching his eighth goal of the season.
But Saturday’s game belonged to the Spartans, who snapped a four-game winless streak with a 5-4 win.
Jakson Kirk scored twice while Chayce Schmidt tallied two assists. Matt O’Donnell made 39 saves for Aurora, which improved to 8-8-1 overall and 5-3 in the league. St. Norbert is now 10-5 overall and 8-2 in the conference.
Three in a row for Trine
The No. 11 Thunder kept their win streak going with a sweep of MSOE. Trine won 2-0 Friday and then grinded out a 4-3 win over the Raiders in overtime Saturday.
Now 14-3 overall and 7-1 in the NCHA, the Thunder escaped the finale with a win thanks to a goal from San Antenucci 3:04 into the OT session.
It was Carson Jones that gave MSOE a shot to earn a win as he scored with less than four minutes to play in regulation to tie the score at 3-3, but the Raiders were unable to complete the upset.
Bobby Price scored twice for the Thunder, who improved to 8-1 on the road, something that has played a big role in their success. Trine has won six of its last seven games overall.
Bulldogs roll
Adrian stretched its win streak to three games with a sweep of Lawrence, winning 8-2 and 4-1.
The fifth-ranked Bulldogs are now 12-4-1, Jacob Suede led the way with a pair of goals in the opening game. Connor May and Ian Amsbaugh came through with three assists apiece.
Adrian held a 40-24 edge in shots in Saturday’s victory. A pair of shorthanded goals, one apiece from Theo Thurn and Ryan Pitoscia, helped pave the way for the Bulldogs, who had two shorthanded goals for the first time since an NCAA tourney game against Augsburg in 2022.
