Box Score
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Saint John's hockey dominated the third period but could not score the equalizer in a 3-2 loss to Bethel on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
The Johnnies (3-2-3, 2-1-2 MIAC) recorded a 46-22 advantage in shots, 37-13 after the first period, and won 39 of the 58 faceoffs in the loss.
BU (4-4-0, 2-1-0 MIAC) book-ended the first period with a pair of goals for an early cushion. Jack Brown took advantage of a power play and a pair of cross-zone passes to put Bethel up 3:56 into the game. Joe Kelly doubled the lead with 4:24 left in the first frame as Jeremiah Konkel fed him a pass across the crease of SJU senior goaltender
Jon Howe (Chanhassen, Minn.) on a makeshift 2-on-1 on the zone entry.
Sophomore forward
Jordan Newpower (Lino Lakes, Minn.) cut the lead in half just 51 seconds into the second period with his third goal of the season. After senior forward
Jackson Borst (Edina, Minn.) kept the puck in the zone, junior forward
Logan Lyke (Medina, Minn.) sent a pass across the ice for Newpower to capitalize on.
SJU narrowly missed two scoring opportunities later in the second period, as freshman defenseman
Cashen Naeve (Independence, Minn.) nicked the pipe with 7:44 left and junior forward
Jacob McPartland (Victoria, Minn.) unleashed a shot on net that found its way through BU goaltender Austin Ryman but trickled just wide of the pipe with 2:48 remaining in the frame.
Joe Westlund's goal with 47 seconds left in the second period proved to be the dagger, as an SJU turnover behind the net gave Peyton Blair a clear pass to Westlund in the slot for a 3-1 lead at the second intermission.
Junior forward
Jackson Bisson (Edina, Minn.) broke the Johnnies' power play drought with a quick goal line shot off a backdoor feed from junior forward
Jack Wandmacher (St. Louis Park, Minn.) 3:23 into the third period. Lyke picked up the second assist on Bisson's third of the season after setting the play from behind the net.
SJU out-shot BU 22-3 in the third period (36-6 attempted) and pulled Howe for the extra skater with 1:26 left in the game, but the Johnnies managed just one shot on goal for the remainder of the game.
Howe made 19 saves in the loss, his first of the season (3-1-3 record).
The two teams wrap up the series with a 5 p.m. puck-drop on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Super Rink in Blaine.
