Box Score
Despite taking down Saint Mary's University 3-2 Friday evening, Head Coach
Brad Marshall wasn't quite satisfied with the St. Catherine University hockey team's performance and was hoping for a better outing on home ice in game two of the series.
Marshall got just what he was looking for as the Wildcat offense exploded for a huge 4-1 win over the Cardinals to remain at the top of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) standings, Saturday afternoon at Drake Arena.
“There was just a much better effort today,” said Marshall whose squad earned its second-straight MIAC series sweep.
“The best part of the last two weeks is we're getting scoring from everyone and not just our 'go-to' people. That's pretty huge.”
Nine different Wildcats had a hand in the team's four goals with
Annie Buttermore (Mahtomedi, Minn.),
Randi Fabsits (Tinley Park, Minn.) and
Laurel Prodahl (Buffalo, Minn.) recording their first collegiate goals in the win.
The Cardinals came out strong in the opening minutes of the first period, but made a big mistake as Haley Coolsaet took an early tripping penalty.
As they have done consistently all season, the Wildcats took advantage of the power play opportunity as
Becky Clifton (Imperial, Mo.) set up Buttermore to put the Wildcats up 1-0.
The Wildcat offensive charge wasn't done yet though, as Fabsits would net the second goal of the game with help from
Megan Killmer (Savage, Minn.) and
Nicki Mosbeck (Emo, Ontario) just four minutes after Buttermore's tally.
Shelby Salmonsen (Faribault, Minn.) would add the third Wildcat goal 12 minutes into the first period, picking up her own rebound to beat Saint Mary's goalie Tori Hermann, giving the Wildcats a commanding 3-0 lead after one period of play.
Prodahl scored a fourth goal just over halfway through the second period with help from teammates
Zoe Verkerke (Menominee, Mich.) and
Kasey Evans (Bursnville, Minn.) to put a comeback out of reach for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals tallied their first and only goal three minutes after Prodahl's goal, but that was the only pressure the Cardinals would put on for the remainder of the contest.
Saint Mary's couldn't find a way to beat Wildcat net-minder
Samantha Geissler (Elk River, Minn.) who stopped 21 of 22 Cardinal shots to earn the win.
With the win the Wildcats improve to 4-1 on the season and their MIAC record remains untarnished at 4-0. The Wildcats are tied for first with Gustavus Adolphus College in the MIAC standings, each with eight points a piece.
“Now we head into Thranksgiving in a pretty good spot and turn our attention to playing well against Saint Benedict in two weeks,” said Marshall.
The Wildcats take a weekend off for the holidays before returning to Drake Arena, Friday, Nov. 30, for an MIAC matchup against the College of Saint Benedict.
Wildcats on Twitter
Wildcats on Facebook
