APPLETON, Wis. -- Both the Lawrence University and Bethel University hockey teams overcame two-goal deficits on Monday and skated to a 6-6 nonconference overtime tie at the Appleton Family Ice Center.
Six different players scored for Lawrence (5-10-2), which had two players pick up their first career goals.
Bethel (9-5-2) jumped on the board first with Jeff Balvin's goal at 11:49 of the first, but the Vikings countered at 14:19 on Billy Siers' power-play goal.
The teams went to the second period tied 1-1, but Steve Eastman gave Bethel back the lead on his power-play goal at 2:32. The lead didn't last long, as Marc Howe tallied for Lawrence at 6:26. The Royals then got a power-play goal from Eastman and an even-strength goal from Brad Peterson to take a 4-2 lead at the 13:13 mark of the second. That was it for Lawrence goaltender Jim Ryan, who made seven saves and was replaced by Evan Johnson.
The Vikings battled back quickly, scoring twice in a 31-second span to tie the score. Josh DeSmit took a feed from Howe and scored just eight seconds after Bethel had grabbed the two-goal advantage. Scott Minarcik got his first career goal at 13:54 and it was a pretty one. He sliced through the middle of the Bethel defense, taking a pass from Josh Peterson, and beat Patrick Kiely to tie the game at 4-4.
Jacob Esch then scored his first career goal for Lawrence at 6:25 of the final period, and Neil Wallace followed with another goal 1:14 later to put Lawrence up 6-4. That sent Kiely to the bench, and he was replaced by Aaron Damjanovich.
The Royals struck back immediately on Balvin's goal at 8:02, and then tied the game on Bret Kettelkamp's power-play goal at 12:43. The Royals converted on all three of their power-play chances.
Johnson stopped six shots in the overtime period, and Damjanovich made two saves
to preserve the tie. Johnson finished with 18 saves and Damjanovich had seven.
Lawrence returns to action Friday and Saturday when it takes on Marian College in a home-and-home series.