Box Score The St. Catherine University hockey team hoped to start the 2014 portion of the season with a win after traveling to a cold and snowy Wesleyan University. Unfortunately, the Wildcats couldn't overcome two early power play goals for the Cardinals in the first period and eventually fell 2-1 Friday night at Spurrier-Snyder Rink in Middletown, Conn.
"I'm not real surprised with the way we started," said Head Coach
Brad Marshall. "Once we got going in the second period and most of the third, we got called for four penalties in the last 13 minutes. It's too bad special teams had to be the focus tonight. And when you only get seven shots on goal in the first 40 minutes, you're not going to do much on the scoreboard."
The Wildcats found themselves not only outmatched in the final score, but the Wildcats found themselves in short-handed situations eight times as opposed to having just four power play opportunities. The Cardinals also held a significant 38-18 advantage in shots on goal over the Wildcats.
After finding themselves down 2-0 after the first period, the Wildcats skated to a scoreless second. The third period opened up with a flurry of penalties including 5-on-3 opportunities that neither team would capitalize on.
The Wildcats finally found a way to get on the board, though, as
Laurel Prodahl (Buffalo, Minn.) took advantage of a mid-ice breakaway to score an unassisted shorthanded goal – cutting the Cardinals' lead to 2-1 with less than nine minutes to play.
However, penalties continued to haunt the Wildcats as they ended the final two minutes of regulation in a penalty kill situation which ended any chance of a late-game goal.
"We need to do a better job at controlling what we can control," said Marshall, "and that's hard work, making good passes and doing something with power play opportunities."
All three Wildcat goaltenders saw minutes against the Cardinals with
Abbi White (Wyoming, Minn.) posting 19 saves in her first collegiate start.
The Wildcats will face the Cardinals again Saturday with puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spurrier-Snyder Rink.
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