Yellowjackets 3, Bethel 1

SUPERIOR, Wis.: For the Yellowjacket men's hockey team, the 2018-19 season has not gone as expected. From scoring droughts to a couple of extended losing streaks, it has been a season of frustration for the 'Jackets.

Friday night the Yellowjackets returned home and rid themselves of some of the frustration, scoring twice in the first and once in the second to earn a 3-1 win over Bethel at Wessman Arena.

Among the storylines of the night was the major injury sustained by Bethel defenseman Johan Kling. In the final minute of play, Kling went head-first into the boards after being hit by Yellowjacket Andrew Durham (Richardson, Texas/Plano East). Durham was assessed a five-minute penalty on the play, which resulted in a 35-minute delay as medical personnel from both teams tended to the injured Kling. He was helped onto a stretcher and taken from the arena in an ambulance and we have no update on his condition.

Another storyline was Yellowjacket goaltender Oscar Svensson (Södertälje, Sweden/Haga Gymnasium). The sophomore made just his fourth career start Friday and he stopped 24-of-25 shots in the game to earn his first collegiate win.

The Yellowjackets opened the scoring at 14:16 of the first period when Martan Yelle (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) got a rebound at the foot of the Bethel goal crease and lifted a shot over goaltender Joe Sheppard to make it 1-0. Yelle, who was inserted into the lineup after Chad Lopez (Arlington, Texas/University of Texas at Arlington) fell ill, scored his second goal of the year on assists from Connor Hamonic (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) and Troy MacTavish (Kanata, Ontario/Earl of March).

It went to 2-0 late in the opening period. With the Yellowjackets down a man, Durham did the dirty work, getting the puck into the Bethel zone and worked to the front of the net where his shot was denied. Pavel Mikhasenok (Yekaterinburg, Russia/Everest Academy) stayed with the play and put the rebound into the top corner for the shorthanded goal right as time expired in the period. Bethel players and coaches protested, saying the period had expired, but the officials saw it differently, and the 'Jackets were up a pair after one period.

Bethel got one back at 16:53 of the second period when Adam Marty got a rebound to the left of the Yellowjacket net and batted the puck out of the air past Svensson to make it 2-1.

The Yellowjackets regained the two-goal lead at 18:41 of the second when Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everst Academy) picked up his fourth goal of the year to make it 3-1. Durham and Mikhasenok set up Terchiyev, who beat Sheppard with a wrist shot from the right circle.

Bethel carried the play in the third, outshooting the Yellowjackets 14-8. They also had two power plays, but the Yellowjacket penalty kill that struggled at times this season came up big. The Yellowjackets were a perfect 5-of-5 on the kill. On the other side the Yellowjackets were unsuccessful in their only power play chance.

For the game the Yellowjackets outshot Bethel 34-25.