PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Yale men's hockey team fell 4-3 to No. 15 Minnesota State, Mankato in the consolation game of the 2026 Cactus Cup. The loss moves Yale to 4-10 overall, while the Mavericks improved to 12-5-5.

End of First: MSU 1, Yale 0

• 10:14 – Minnesota State opened the scoring with an even-strength goal midway through the period.

End of Second: MSU 3, Yale 1

• 2:59 – Early in the second frame, the Mavericks extended their lead to two.
• 3:57 – Just under a minute later, Minnesota State struck again to make it 3-0.
• 8:42 – Yale broke through near the midpoint of the period as Donovan Frias charged into the offensive zone and crashed the net, forcing the puck across the goal line.

End of Third: MSU 4, Yale 3

• 2:44 – Minnesota State added another early goal in the third to regain a three-goal advantage.
• 7:54 – The Bulldogs responded as Rhys Bentham exited the penalty box and capitalized on a blocked shot that ricocheted into the neutral zone. Bentham took the open ice before finding a breaking David Chen on the far post for the finish. 
• 14:35 – Yale pulled within one when a shot from Dylan Hunt in the slot redirected off a skate and landed on the stick of defenseman Owen Forester, who buried the loose puck with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

Notes

• Jack Stark made 34 saves in goal.
• Donovan Frias tallied his fourth goal of the season.
• David Chen recorded his fifth goal of the season.
• Rhys Bentham notched assists on two of Yale's goals, marking his first multi-point game since Nov. 9, 2024 at Colgate.
• Owen Forester scored his first career goal and added his second assist of the season, also registering his first multi-point game as a Bulldog.
• Will Richter recorded assists in back-to-back games.
• Dylan Hunt picked up his fourth assist of the season.

Up Next
Yale returns home for its first games of 2026, hosting St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Jan. 9-10. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. both nights.