MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MINN. – Following two tough games against Gustavus Adolphus College last weekend, the St. Catherine University hockey team returned to the ice Friday evening against the University of St. Thomas. The Wildcats hoped to upset the rival Tommies on their own ice and regain momentum in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play. Unfortunately, the St. Thomas shooters were too much for St. Kate's in the series opener, as the team fell to the defending conference champions 3-1.

The Wildcats defense proved in recent weeks it could withstand the offensive power of the top teams in the MIAC, giving the offense a chance to score when the opportunity presented itself. That trend continued Friday evening, as St. Kate's held St. Thomas' forwards to just six shots in the first period. Unfortunately, the Tommies did not waste their offensive opportunities, as they managed to slip two pucks past senior goalie Abbi White (Wyoming, Minn. / Forest Lake) in the first 20 minutes of play.

St. Thomas' first goal came at 6:50 in the period. St. Kate's managed to play with the Tommies shot for shot in the opening period of play until Ellie Tabaka managed to shoot the puck past a diving White, putting St. Thomas up 1-0. Then, with three seconds remaining in the period, the Tommies again managed to score on the usually stingy Wildcat defense, putting the defending MIAC regular season and postseason champs up 2-0 at the end of the first period.

St. Kate's tried to battle back in the second but neither team was able to break the other's respective goalie. White made 12 saves in the second period while St. Thomas starting goalie MacKenzie Torpy stopped the seven shots she faced in the second. However, the Wildcats, unfortunately, were not able to spend much time on offense in the second, as Tori Thompson (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) and Jordan Solheim (Thief River Falls, Minn. / Thief River Falls) were both sent to the penalty box during the period.

However, White's strong play in the second kept St. Kate's within striking distance of the Tommies lead. Unfortunately, St. Thomas managed to extend its lead 28 seconds into the third period, as Rachel Werdin scored to put the Tommies up 3-0 with 19:32 remaining in the third period.

As the Wildcats have proved in recent games, though, no lead it too big for them to overcome. St. Kate's tried valiantly to chip away at St. Thomas' lead, first by sending a plethora of shots Torpy's way. However, the Wildcats were unable to find the back of the net for the first half of the final period, that is, until they went on the power play. At 6:29 in the period, the Tommies Demi Cooper was sent to the penalty box for tripping, giving St. Kate's a 5-on-4 advantage for two minutes. The Wildcats wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity. After Anna Carman's (Lutsen, Minn. / Cook County) sailed wide of the net, Karly Nelson (East Grand Forks, Minn. / East Grand Forks) picked up the rebound and sent it over Torpy's left shoulder, scoring her first goal of the season and the first goal of the game for St. Kate's.

After Nelson's goal, the Wildcats tried to cut the deficit down to one. They continued to pepper Torpy and the St. Thomas defense with shots, but the goalie was able to save every puck. With a minute and a half remaining, head coach Brad Marshall pulled White for an extra skater, but St. Kate's was unable to push the puck deep in the Tommies zone, resulting in a 3-1 loss at the end of regulation.

White made 25 saves in the loss after facing 28 shots during 60 minutes of play. Nelson and Carman tallied the only two points of the night for the Wildcats, while the team
put together one of its best offensive performances of the season, with 25 total shots.

With the loss, St. Kate's overall record falls to 6-9-1 and the team now holds a 2-6-1 record in MIAC play. The Wildcats and Tommies will face off at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the second game of the home-and-home series. Saturday's game will take place in St. Paul, Minnesota at Drake Arena.