After a tough 4-0 loss to the defending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Champion University of St. Thomas Friday, the St. Catherine University hockey team knew it would need to play like a different team in game two and use home ice to its advantage. Thanks to a much better team effort, the Wildcats were able to battle the Tommies for a 1-1 tie Saturday afternoon at Drake Arena. 

"Hopefully this is a step forward for our team," said Head Coach Brad Marshall. "The difference in attitude, work ethic and our compete level from last night was much better." 

The opening 5:46 of the game tested the Wildcats as they fought off back-to-back penalties before finally getting a golden opportunity to take an early lead. The Tommies committed consecutive infractions to give the Wildcats a 5-on-3 chance which they didn't hesitate to capitalize on. Mallory Ryan (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) slid a pass from the right side of the zone over to Karly Nelson (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks) who buried a shot from the left point for her first collegiate goal. 

The Wildcats appeared as if they might take a 1-0 lead into the second period, however, Rachel Frieberg scored with just 0.2 seconds remaining in the period for the Tommies to even the score at 1-1. 

After being outshot in the first period 8-4, the Wildcats turned the tables on the Tommies in the second half and took the advantage at 8-5. The Tommies desperately searched for a way to beat sophomore goalie Abbi White (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake) in the third, but she turned away all 16 of their chance to force overtime for just the fourth time this season. Neither team could captialize as both settled for a conference tie. 

White collected a season- and career-best 35 saves in goal for the Wildcats, while Ryan's assist was her fifth of the season which leads the team. She is also tied for second in points with six. Shelby Salmonsen (Faribault, Minn./Faribault) led the Wildcats with three shots on goal. 

The Wildcats move to 4-7-3 on the season and 2-4-2 in the MIAC. They return to conference action for a two game series with the College of Saint Benedict beginning Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Drake Arena. Game two is slated for Saturday at 4:15 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minnesota. 

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