Box Score Coming off a big shutout of Bethel University last Saturday, the St. Catherine University hockey team hoped it could keep that momentum going against the defending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) champion Gustavus Adolphus College – a team that suffered its first conference loss in 30 games and first series sweep at the hands of the College of Saint Benedict last weekend.
"Tonight was a pretty good game until (Gustavus) got a power play goal early in the third," said Head Coach
Brad Marshall. "We lacked some consistency and finishing touch. We had chances, and you're not going to score on every shot, but we're better than what the score showed. We need to be better at finishing our odd-number rushes and breakaways."
Despite seven power play opportunities and 22 shots on goal, the Wildcats couldn't find a way to score and slow down the high-powered Gustie offense in falling 3-0 Friday evening in St. Peter, Minn.
The Wildcats managed to hold off the Gusties until Allison Eder-Zdechlik – one of the top five scorers in the MIAC – beat Wildcat goalie
Samantha Geissler (Elk River, Minn.) for her first of two goals in the game 12:55 into the first. The Gusties outshot the Wildcats again in the second and upped their lead to 2-0 on an unassisted goal from Marrisa Brandt.
In the third, the Wildcats tried to get going and even outshot the Gusties 10-7, but Eder-Zdechlik would add a power play goal 30 seconds into the third to put a comeback out of reach to seal the Gusties 11th MIAC win of the season to bump them back into a tie for first place with the University of St. Thomas.
After two-straight shutout wins in goal, Geissler made 23 saves in suffering her first loss since the reopening of conference play against St. Thomas on Jan. 17.
Megan Killmer (Savage, Minn.),
Jordan Solheim (Thief River Falls, Minn.) and
Mallory Ryan (Cottage Grove, Minn.) each had four shots on goal for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats will face the Gusties for game two of the weekend series tomorrow at Drake Arena beginning at 2 p.m.
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