Box Score Before taking on Concordia College this weekend in a two-game series that could decide seeding for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoffs, the St. Catherine University hockey team had to face No. 5-ranked UW-River Falls in a non-conference warm up game. Despite scoring two power play goals in the second period, the Wildcats couldn't slow down the quick, high-powered Falcons in falling 5-2 Tuesday night at Drake Arena in St. Paul. 

"Time of possession was one-side and shots were one-sided," said Head Coach Brad Marshall, "but we had a chance to keep it close. If we could have ended the second period down 3-2 instead of 4-2, I think we would have had a chance." Against (UW-River Falls), you can't give goals away. We need to make teams work and earn them."

After the Wildcats skated to a scoreless first period tie – a period in which Samantha Geissler (Elk River, Minn.) stopped 16 Falcon shotsl – and managed just five shots on goal, the Falcon offense got going early in the second period on a goal from Kait Mason just 1:34 in. Then, Jenna Ulberg tallied another for the Falcons less than four minutes later to give her squad a 2-0 lead. 

However, the Wildcats' power play got hot when Annie Buttermore (Mahtomedi, Minn.) scored her fourth goal of the season with assists from Randi Fabsits (Tinley Park, Ill.) and Megan Killmer (Savage, Minn.) seven seconds into the advantage pulling the Wildcats within one goal of the Falcons. Just a few mintues later, though, the Falcons turned the tables on the Wildcats scoring a power play goal of their own to take back their two goal lead. 

The Wildcats then got another power play opportunity and Jordan Solheim (Thief River Falls, Minn.) took advantage for her sixth goal of the season to make the score 3-2. But the Falcons didn't let the Wildcats stay close for long as Katie Batters picked up a lose puck off a Wildcat mistake in front to beat Abbi White (Wyoming, Minn.) on an unassisted goal. The Falcons would then add another goal later in the third period to increase their lead to three en route to their 17th victory of the season. 

Fabsits led the Wildcats in points picking up two assists on the night, while Bailey Rasmussen (Grand Rapids, Minn.) also picked up an assist on the Wildcats' second power play goal. In goal, Geissler kicked out 29 of 32 shots faced, while While made 17 saves in 28 minutes played. 

With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 11-11-1 on the season and close out the MIAC regular season with a two-game series against Concordia in Moorhead, Minn., with Friday's game scheduled for 7 p.m. 

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