After a disappointing second period that led to a 4-1 loss to No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus College Friday night, Head Coach Brad Marshall needed his St. Catherine University hockey team to come out with stronger play Saturday if it hoped upset the Gusties in game two of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) series. The Wildcats were able to do just that for 58 minutes before allowing the Gusties to break a scoreless tie and take a 1-0 decision Saturday afternoon in St. Peter, Minnesota. 

"It was such a different atmosphere in our locker room today," said Marshall. "We played with the same girt and agression that we had for 20 minutes last night. Offensively, it was a struggle, but the palyers really bought into the slight changes that were made. We made (Gustavus) work for everything today." 

In the first period, the Wildcats played with the Gusites being outshot just 10-6. They also continued their solid penalty kill as they held the Gusties scoreless on a first period penalty. Senior goalie Samantha Geissler (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) managed to keep the Wildcats in it during the second period turning away all nine Gustavus shots. 

The tides changed for the Gusties, though, in the third period as they took a 10-1 advantage over the Wildcats in shots. With just two minutes remaining in the game, the league's leading first-year Erica Power beat Geissler on a set up from Allison Eder-Zdechlik to give the Gusties a 1-0 lead en route to victory. 

Geissler finished the game with 29 saves in net for the Wildcats, while LIndsey Hibbard picked up her third shutout in the last four games turning away all 12 Wildcat shots. Zoe Verkerke (Menominee, Mich./Menominee) led the Wildcats offensively with three shots on goal, while Mallory Ryan (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) had two. 

With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 5-9-5 on the season and 3-7-4 in the MIAC. They return to action next week for a two-game series against last-place St. Olaf College. Game one is slated for Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Northfield, Minnesota, before the series returns to St. Paul for a 2 p.m. start Saturday at Drake Arena. 

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