MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MINN. – College hockey in that state of Minnesota in never quite without theatrics, especially in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). There was certainly not an exception to that rule Friday night, when the St. Catherine University hockey team took on conference rival the University of St. Thomas. St. Kate's played arguable its best game of the season, as the team battled with No. 8 St. Thomas tooth and nail for 60 minutes of play. Unfortunately, the Wildcats were unable to come out on top in the series opener, falling by a final score of 2-1.

St. Kate's defensive play was off the charts in Friday evening's contest, as it held the projected top team in the MIAC to just 31 shots in 60 minutes of play. However, the Tommies did manage to get on the board first three minutes into the game. Wildcats. St. Thomas forward Isabel Bianci beat first year goalie Bryce Boreen (Cottage Grove, Minn. / Park-Cottage Grove) through the five hole to put the Tommies ahead 1-0 at 3:37 in the first period.

The Wildcats were not deterred by St. Thomas' early goal and answered with one of their own less than a minute later. First year forward Ashlyn Rakos (Waconia, Minn. / Holy Family) stripped a Tommie defender at the top of the left circle in the Tommie zone before making a nice move by the crease for a one-on-one against Kenzie Torpy. Rakos then scooped the puck up and over Torpy's stick to score the first collegiate goal of her career and even things up with St. Thomas 1-1.

After the early scoring barrage, neither team was able to outsmart the opposing goalie through the remainder of the first period. The Tommies went on the power play midway through the first period when Rakos was sent to the penalty box for hooking. Fortunately, the Wildcats defense was on fire and kept St. Thomas off the board through the remainder of the first period.

The second period was eerily similar to the first, minus the two early goals, as both St. Kate's and St. Thomas' defenses were on fire in the half. However, it was the Tommies who eventually managed to breakthrough and score, as Allie Borgstrom gave her team a 2-1 lead on a breakaway goal at 13:30 in the period.

The Wildcats certainly had opportunities to score the equalizer in the remaining 6:30 in the period. Laken Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) had a one-on-one with Torpy but was unable to convert the shot. Tori Thompson (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) had multiple chances as well, as she peppered Torpy with multiple slap shots, especially during St. Kate's power play opportunities. Sadly, neither Muller nor Thompson were able to find the back of the net, resulting in a 2-1 Tommie lead at the end of the period.

The Wildcats continued to battle in the third period but were once again unable to score in the final 20 minutes of play. St. Kate's was unable to find a rhythm offensively, as multiple Wildcats were sent to the penalty box in a penalty riddled third period. Still, St. Kate's had a six-on-five advantage in the final minute of play, as head coach Brad Marshall pulled Boreen for an extra skater. While the Wildcats generated multiple scoring opportunities in the final seconds, they were unable to score the equalizer, resulting in a 2-1 loss.

"It was another close game," Marshall said in his postgame comments. "Although we came up short, this team is better than the record shows. We competed and played well, especially on defense."

St. Kate's defense stole the show, as it allowed just 31 shots to reach Boreen in her collegiate debut. Overall, the first year goalie made 29 saves in a little under 60 minutes of work.

With the loss, the Wildcats overall record falls to 1-5-0 and they have a 0-3-0 record in MIAC play. St. Kate's will return to the ice on Saturday when it hosts St. Thomas at 1 p.m. at Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.