Yellowjackets 8, Bethel 2

For most of the 2017-18 season, scoring had been at a premium for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team. In fact, going into the semester break the team hadn't scored more than three goals in a single game.

Since the break, the tables have turned.

In the first game out the Yellowjackets put four on the board against Concordia. Last Friday against Saint Mary's, they tacked on two more and netted six. Tonight against Bethel, they established a new high-water mark.

The Yellowjackets (7-8-2, 0-1-1 WIAC) scored three times in each of the first and second periods and rolled to a convincing 8-2 win over Bethel Friday night at the Schwann Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.

Bethel came out flying to open the game, peppering the Yellowjacket goal with shots, earning the first five. The Yellowjackets weathered that storm, and drew first blood at 9:54 of the first period when team scoring leader Daniel Litchke (Superior, Wis./Superior) broke the ice, dragging the puck around an opponent in the right circle and snapping a shot past Bethel goaltender Aaron Furlano to make it 1-0.

The Yellowjackets pushed the lead to 2-0 on the power play at 13:08 of the first when Litchke moved the puck to a wide open Troy York (Plano, Texas/Plano West) in the left circle, and the newest Yellowjacket made no mistake, rifling a shot into an open net for his first goal in black and gold. Before the period ended the Yellowjackets extended the lead. This time it was Lukas Denk (Brno, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Globe) scoring his first goal of the season, beating Furlano with a shot down low to make it 3-0 after one period.

Bethel got on the board early in the second, when Dylan Webster scored at 3:46, but the Yellowjackets had an answer. Andrew Durham (Plano, Texas/Plano East), who now has three goals in the last two games, picked a corner from the right circle at 7:10 to make it a 4-1 game. Litchke picked up his second goal of the game at 12:33 of the second, deflecting a Dylan Nelson (Clearwater, Minn./Annandale) shot from the point past relief goaltender Jesse Garcia to push the lead to 5-1. Then at 17:47 of the period Ryan Carlson (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) added to the lead, scoring his first collegiate goal on the power play, beating Garcia from the right circle and the Yellowjackets led 6-1 after two.

The Royals added their second goal of the game just 30 seconds into the third, getting to a loose puck at the right of the goal and beating Yellowjacket goaltender Cole Skinner (Lunenberg, N.S./Parkview Education Centre) to cut into the lead. Once again the Yellowjackets had an answer. At 6:09 of the third Bruno Birzitis (Riga, Latvia/Riga Distance Education Secondary) carried down the right side and as he was cutting to the net he slid a pass between his legs to Ian Ecklund (Twig, Minn./Proctor) who was between the circles, and the senior scored his tenth of the season and the lead bulged to 7-2. The same tandem connected again at 15:32 of the third, this time with Birzitis centering from behind the net to Ecklund and he blasted a slap shot past Garcia to make the final score 8-2.

Litchke finished the night with two goals and two assists. Also having multi-point games for the Yellowjackets were Birzitis (three assists), Ecklund (two goals), Durham (one goal, one assist), Carlson (one goal, one assist), and Jake Hamilton (Decatur, Ill./Nequa Valley) (two assists).

Skinner had a solid night in goal for the Yellowjackets, earning his sixth win of the season while making 30 saves. At the other end Furlano and Garcia combined to make 24 saves.

The Yellowjackets finished the game 2-for-5 on the power play and killed off all six shorthanded chances they gave to the Royals.

Up Next: The Yellowjackets will look to reach the .500 mark for the season Saturday when they travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on Hamline University. Game time from TRIA Arena is set for 7:00 p.m.