ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. – Junior Jonathan Panisa scored the lone goal of the game at 1:11 of overtime to give the St. Olaf College men's hockey team a 1-0 non-conference victory over Bethel University on Saturday evening at the Recreation Outdoor Center.

In the third edition of the annual outdoor game between the two programs, Panisa won it for St. Olaf (4-4-1) with a backhand-forehand-backhand move on a breakaway seconds after first year Matthew Malin denied Tyler Braccini the potential game-winning goal for Bethel (3-5-1). The Oles have won two of the three outdoor meetings over the last three seasons, with both coming in overtime after St. Olaf won 2-1 in the first matchup on Dec. 10, 2022.

After 60 minutes of scoreless hockey, St. Olaf nearly won the game just six seconds into overtime, as senior Jonathan Young got in on goal right off the faceoff but was denied by Bethel netminder Austin Ryman. One minute later, Braccini had a good look from the left circle for the Royals, but Malin saved Braccini's effort. The Oles were able to scramble the rebound out of the crease before senior Connor Kalthoff flipped the puck ahead to Panisa, who raced in on Ryman and netted the lone goal of the night.

Panisa's goal was his fourth of the season, three of which have come in the last four games, while Kalthoff's assist was his team-leading ninth of the season. Kalthoff has eight assists in the Oles' last seven games.

St. Olaf outshot Bethel by a 35-10 difference in shots on goal in the game, but Ryman stopped the first 34 efforts he faced to keep the game scoreless. Malin saved all 10 shots he faced to earn his first collegiate shutout and improve to 4-2-0 in six starts.

Both teams were 0-for-3 on the power play in the game, with each team having two power plays in the opening period. St. Olaf had 42 seconds of 5-on-3 power-play time in the final two minutes of the opening period but was able to generate just one shot on goal.

Junior Kelijah McElroy had the first clear-cut scoring chance of the second period six minutes in after forcing a turnover deep in the Bethel defensive zone but was thwarted by Ryman. Bethel had its best scoring chance to that point with 6:30 left in the period when Spencer Kring slotted Matt Berezowski in on goal, but Berezowski's effort missed the net.

Late in the second, Bethel got its third power play of the night, but Malin made a sprawling glove save on Jack Brown early in the power play to keep the game scoreless. In the final seconds of the power play, Shane Lavelle got the puck in the goal for the Royals, but his effort was waved off by the officials.

St. Olaf had 11 of the third period's 12 shots on goal but could not find a way past Ryman. Ryman's best save of the period was a glove save on first year Nick Sewecke in transition a little over five minutes in. The Royals nearly snatched a dramatic winner in the final seconds when Chase Beacom fired the puck wide from low in the left circle with less than 10 seconds to go in the third.