BLAINE, Minn. – A regulation hockey game lasts 60 minutes. One of the oldest cliches in hockey is that, in order to make victory more likely, you need to play a full 60 minutes. Without competing every minute, the road to victory becomes that much tougher.

Friday night the Yellowjacket men's hockey team didn't play a full 60, as it struggled through the second period, but in the end generated the offense needed to get a 2-1 win on the road at St. Scholastica. Saturday afternoon, the Yellowjackets followed the same script, following up a strong opening 20 minutes with a rough second.

In the end, the Yellowjackets couldn't overcome their second period struggles and they suffered their first defeat of 2024-25, falling to Bethel 4-3 at the National Sports Center.
 
Despite the tough middle frame the 'Jackets had their chances in the third period, outshooting Bethel 19-4 and coming close to tying the game on multiple occasions, but the Royals defended their way to victory late to win their second game in a row.
 
Ikki Kogawa (Chiba, Japan/Collingwood Collegiate Institute), who assisted on both Yellowjacket goals Friday, scored twice in the first period to give the Yellowjackets a 2-0 lead after one period before Bethel scored the next four goals to build an insurmountable lead.
 
Kogawa is now the team's leading scorer, with two goals and three assists through four games.
 
Game Notes

• Saturday marked the first time this season the Yellowjackets scored the first goal of the game.
• Kogawa opened the scoring at 13:17 of the first, getting a rebound in the goal crease and poking it home for his first collegiate goal. The rebound came after a Justin Dauphinais (Val Caron, Ontario/École Secondaire Catholique Horizon) shot hit the post.
• Minutes later Kogawa potted another one, burying a shot from the right circle at 16:23.
• Bethel broke through at 8:11 of the second period when Tyler Braccini took a shot from the left circle that beat Yellowjacket goaltender Kobe Grant (Vernon, British Columbia/South Kamloops Secondary) to the short side.
• Bethel tied the game at 15:20 of the second on a goal from in tight by Jack Brown.
• Braccini scored his second of the game at 5:29 of the third, taking a shot from the left circle that went off the right post and in to put Bethel in front for the first time.
• Bethel made it a 4-2 game at 7:29 when the Yellowjackets lost track of Jake Svenddal coming down from the left point, and his shot beat Grant.
• Just over a minute later the Yellowjackets pulled to within one when Matt Francois (Denver, Colo./Grandview) pounded on a loose puck near the Bethel goal for his first of the year.
• The Yellowjackets had numerous point-blank chance in the third, with multiple shot flurries near the goal, but Bethel's defense didn't break.
• UWS gave Bethel four power plays, including a lengthy two-man advantage, in the second period.
• Francois also had an assist in the game.
• Kogawa has points in three of his first four games.
• Grant, who was outstanding, especially in the second period, finished he game with 25 saves.
• For the game the Yellowjackets outshot Bethel 32-29.

The Yellowjackets are back home Friday, Nov. 22 when they open Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play against UW-Eau Claire. The opening faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Wessman Arena.
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