ST. PAUL, MINN. – In hockey, the best way to end a career is with a tie. With one series remaining in the 2016-17 season, the St. Catherine University hockey team found the best way to honor its three seniors in the final home game of the regular season. St. Kate's defeated the Saint Mary's Cardinals in its final home game of the regular season to improve to 9-13-2 overall and 5-10-2 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play.

"It was a good way for our team and graduating players to end their career at our home arena," head coach Brad Marshall said after the game. "We played close to 60 minutes for the first time in a while."

The Cardinals were the first team to strike in the first period, as Jamie Henderson scored her team-leading 10^th goal of the season. Three minutes later, though, the Wildcats evened the score, as Cassie Thomas (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) celebrated senior day the best way possible, with her fourth goal of the season. Thomas took a Tori Thompson (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) rebound and stuffed it in the back corner of the net, tying the game 1-1 with a little under half the period remaining.

After a brief five minute break for injury, St. Kate's came back stronger than ever, getting three quick shots on Saint Mary's starting goalie Ashley Corcoran. Corcoran made every save, until the Wildcats went on the power play. After the first minute passed, St. Kate's proved why it has one of the most dangerous team's with an extra skater, as Melissa Smith (Maplewood, Minn. / Hill-Murray) scored the first goal of her collegiate career to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead in the first.

St. Kate's picked up right where it left off in the second period, battering Corcoran with shots right from the initial puck drop. However, the Wildcats offensive threat was put on hold, though, midway through the period as Morgan Tentis (Victoria, Minn. / Chanhassen) took a penalty for hooking at 8:22. After the Wildcats killed the penalty, the two teams traded penalties and played four on four hockey for the next three minutes. In that time, Lexi Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) scored from the blue line, with assists to Thompson and sister Laken Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley), to put St. Kate's up 3-1 at 11:34.

With under three minutes remaining in the period, the Cardinals managed to pull within one of the Wildcats lead, meaning the second period ended with a 3-2 advantage to St. Kate's. When the third period started, the Wildcats wasted no time trying to extend their lead. With neither team called for a penalty in the third, both St. Kate's and the Cardinals were able to get clear shots on goal.

For the first 10 minutes of the third period, though, neither team was able to score. At 9:26, though, the Wildcats persistence paid off as Anna Carman (Lutsen, Minn. / Lutsen) scored the fourth goal of the game through the five-hole to give St. Kate's a 4-2 lead.

Saint Mary's managed to, again, pull within one at 16:51 in the third, as Henderson scored her second goal of the game with a top-shelf shot over a diving Abbi White (Wyoming, Minn. / Forest Lake). With a one goal lead, St. Kate's suddenly found itself in protect mode, as the Cardinals pulled Corcoran in favor of an extra skater. Like the first four penalties of the game, the Wildcats managed to kill the penalty, as White made several spectacular saves to preserve the 4-3 lead. Then, with 11 second remaining in regulation, Tentis scored an unassisted empty netter, securing the 5-3 victory for St. Kate's.

White faced 26 shots and made 23 saves, while her teammates outshot Saint Mary's 29-26. The Wildcats also won the faceoff battle, and converted one of three power play opportunities.

St. Kate's will return to action tomorrow for the final game of the 2016-17 regular season when it faces Saint Mary's at 2 p.m. in Winona, Minnesota.