Box Score
Heading into a tough series against Bethel University, St. Catherine University Head Hockey Coach Brad Marshall knew goals would be hard to come by for both teams and hoped his team could find a way to come out with a win.
 
After a back-and-forth battle with great scoring opportunities for both teams, Marshall and his Wildcats had to settle for a 1-1 tie with the Royals, Thursday night at Drake Arena.
 
“We knew this would be a low-scoring game,” said Marshall, “with both goalies playing so well lately. This was a good test for us and I would say we passed, but there's definitely room for improvement.”
 
Despite outshooting the Royals eight to five in the first period, the Wildcats couldn't find a way to beat Bethel goalie Jess Newstrom early in the game.
 
For the second straight-game Annie Buttermore (Mahtomedi, Minn.) would score the lone Wildcat goal – again on an assist from Zoe Verkerke (Menominee, Mich.) – to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at the 1:11 mark to open the second period.
 
Less than seven minutes later  Jessica Gapinski would bury a loose puck to beat Alex Hall (Burnsville, Minn.) and tie the game at one a piece.
 
After a scoreless third period, the Wildcats and Royals headed into overtime where it appeared the Wildcats might have an opportunity for a win when they went on the power play with 3:02 to go in the extra period.
 
In less than two minutes, though, the Wildcats would find themselves on the penalty kill and down two players. Thanks to the great play of Hall and several blocked shots in the game's final 50 seconds,  the Wildcats found a way to hold on for the tie.
 
With the Wildcats only goal, Buttermore is now fourth on the team in points (8), while her linemate Verkerke is fifth (6). Verkerke is also third on the team in assists with five.
 
Hall had another stellar performance in net for the Wildcats as she stopped 25 Royal shots, including 11 combined in the third and overtime periods.
 
Buttermore led the Wildcats in shots on goal with six, while Mallory Ryan (Cottage Grove, Minn.) also recorded six and Megan Killmer (Savage, Minn.) had five.
 
The Wildcats will have one day off before heading north to take on the Royals for game two of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) series, Saturday at the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
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