Box Score
Coming off a tough series against Concordia College last week, the St. Catherine University hockey team needed to find a way to come up with a win against the No. 2 team in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the University of St. Thomas, late in the playoff hunt.
Despite evenly matched play for most of the contest, the Wildcats suffered the same fate as a week ago losing 3-2 in overtime to the Tommies, Friday night at Drake Arena.
After a scoreless first period, the Wildcats gained momentum when
Annie Buttermore (Mahtomedi, Minn.) scored for her fifth goal of the season on a pass from
Zoe Verkerke (Menominee, Mich.) at the 8:17 mark. The goal was the fourth time this season the two first-years have connected for a Wildcat tally.
But the tough Tommies weren't going to surrender easily as Paige Baldwin answered back at the 9:52 mark on a goal that bounced off a player in front to tie the game 1-1 heading into the third.
The Tommies appeared to regain control of the game when Christina Rozeske beat Wildcat goalie
Alex Hall (Burnsville, Minn.) on a power play opportunity to lift the Tommies to a 2-1 lead with just over 16 minutes to play in regulation.
It was Verkerke who would bring the Wildcats back to life, though, when she beat Tommie goalie Alise Riedel top shelf to tie the game at two a piece at 11:16 in the third period to send the game into overtime.
Just like last Friday, the Wildcats were hoping to avoid giving up a goal in extra minutes, but came up empty handed as Kelsey Barnier ended the game on a Page Baldwin feed to give the Tommies their ninth MIAC win of the season.
Kasey Evans (Burnsville, Minn.) picked up the assist on the goal, while
Megan Killmer (Savage, Minn.) and
Becky Clifton (Imperial, Mo.) continued their offensive production with three shots on goal each. Three
Rachael Gasperetti (Milwaukee, Minn.) shots also found the net in the first period.
Alex Hall (Burnsville, Minn.) was also impressive in net for the Wildcats with 33 saves as compared to just 17 for the Tommies' Riedel.
The Wildcats – desperately in search of an MIAC win to keep themselves in a good position to make playoffs – will have another chance at the Tommies tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Mendota Heights, Minn.
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