ST. PAUL, MINN. – All season long, the St. Catherine University hockey team has shown its one of the top defensive teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Friday evening, the Wildcats were hoping their offensive and defensive games would come together against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. While St. Kate's defense was once against outstanding, it couldn't find the back of the net, as the team suffered a 2-0 loss to UW-Eau Claire.

"We did a lot of good things out there tonight," hockey head coach Brad Marshall commented after the game. "We could have quit after the second goal in the second period, but they showed a lot of character and kept playing."

The Wildcats hung with the Blugolds through the first period, resulting in a 0-0 draw after the first 20 minutes of play. St. Kate's held its opponent to its lowest shot total in a single period this season, as UW-Eau Claire only managed seven shots on goal in the first period. First year goalie Bryce Boreen (Cottage Grove, Minn. / Cottage Grove-Park) was there to make every save in the initial period, preserving the scoreless draw and giving the Wildcats a chance to take the initial lead.

Unfortunately, the Blugolds managed to slip one past Boreen just minutes into the second period. Senior forward Jaedyn Walz scored on a tic-tac-toe play to but UW-Eau Claire ahead 1-0 2:38 into the second period. The Blugolds unfortunately extended their lead four minutes later, as Walz scored her second goal of the game, giving UW-Eau Claire a 2-0 lead over St. Kate's.

The Wildcats, though, weren't out for the count, though, as they tried to battle back in the second and third periods. First year forward Hunter Gallus (Delano, Minn. / Mound-Westonka) had two breakaway opportunities in the second period, but Blugold goalie Erin Connolly saved both shots to preserve the 2-0 lead for UW-Eau Claire.
St. Kate's also had multiple opportunities to even the score on the power play, as the Blugolds were sent to the penalty box five times during the game. Unfortunately, the Wildcats also struggled to stay out of the box as they suffered multiple penalties during a 5-on-4 advantage.

However, St. Kate's showed resiliency in the third and final period as the team actually outshot the Blugolds 8-6 during the final 20 minutes of play. Sadly, the Wildcats were never quite able to break through Connolly as she made several fantastic saves to keep St. Kate's off the scoreboard. Tori Thompson (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) nearly evened the score midway through the period on the Wildcats power play with a zinging slap shot from the high left corner. Connolly made the save, and St. Kate's was unable to bury the rebound in the back of the net.

Laken Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) nearly cut the deficit in half. After taking apass from Anna Carman (Lutsen, Minn. / Silver Bay) at center ice, the junior forward duked her defender for a one-on-one with Connolly in front of the next. Unfortunately, Muller couldn't convert the breakaway opportunity and St. Kate's was unable to score in the remaining five minutes of play, resulting in the 2-0 loss.

Boreen suffered her second loss of the season, making 22 saves in 40 minutes of play. Fellow first year goalie Kelsey Miller (Rochester, Minn. / Century) made her collegiate debut in the third period of the game and saved all six shots she faced in the final 20 minutes of regulation.

With the loss, the Wildcats overall record falls to 1-9-0. The team will take the next two weeks off before returning to play Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut January 4-5.