Box Score
Heading into a crucial Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) contest against a Concordia College squad with an identical 5-4-1 conference record and only eight games remaining in the regular season, the St. Catherine University hockey knew it would need to be nearly perfect to come away with a much-needed win.
 
In a high-scoring, penalty-filled affair, the Wildcats came up just short of perfect as they suffered a heart-breaking 5-4 loss to the Cobbers in overtime , Friday night at Drake Arena.
 
The Cobbers jumped on top at the 5:13 mark of the first as Kelsey Vandergrift was left alone alone in front of Alex Hall (Burnsville, Minn.) and capitalized on a power play opportunity, giving the Cobbers an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Wildcats would fire right back, though, as Mallory Ryan (Cottage Grove, Minn.) scored on her team's first power play opportunity of the game at the 13:35 mark to tie the game at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
 
Anna Westmark opened up the second period with an unassisted goal to give the Cobbers at 2-1 lead at 2:59, but Bailey Rasmussen (Grand Rapids, Minn.) would score the Wildcats' first short-handed goal of the season to tie the game up heading into the third.
 
Randi Fabsits (Tinley Park, Ill.) netted her third goal of the season to give the Wildcats their first and only lead of the game just 1:05 into the third period.
 
Ali Nelson would score an unassisted goal at 11:31 to tie the game at three a side, before Vandergrift recorded her second of the game to give the Cobbers at 4-3 lead with just over seven minutes to play.
 
Despite falling behind, the Wildcats weren't about to give up as Kasey Evans (Burnsville, Minn.) – with help from Annie Buttermore (Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Zoe Verkerke (Menominee, Mich.) – would score her third goal of the season to tie the game at 4-4 and force overtime.
 
Late in the third period, the Wildcats gave up a power play opportunity that ultimately led to their demise. Briann Julius scored just over a minute into the extra period to help the Cobbers improve to 6-4-1 in MIAC play and move into third in the conference standings with 13 points.
 
Megan Killmer (Savage, Minn.) and Becky Clifton (Imperial, Mo.) each finished the game with two assists, while Hall recorded 37 saves in net for the Wildcats. Killmer continues to lead the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points, while Clifton is second with 11.
 
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 5-5-1 in MIAC play and remain in fifth place in the standings with 11 points.  The Wildcats and the Cobbers will meet again tomorrow for game two of the MIAC series at Drake Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m.