ST. PAUL, MINN. – All season long, the St. Catherine University hockey team has been able bounce back from some of its toughest losses. On Friday, the Wildcats were looking to do just that. After suffering two hard losses to St. Olaf College last weekend, St. Kate's returned to the ice for the first of a two game series against the College of Saint Benedict. While the Wildcats weren't able to come away with a win, they did manage to score a crucial point in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play with a 1-1 tie against the Blazers.

St. Kate's entered the series with an overall record of 7-11-1 and was 3-8-1 in MIAC play. Saint Ben's, on the other hand, was still looking for its first win in conference play, with a 0-11-1 record against MIAC opponents and a 3-15-1 record overall. From the beginning, though, it was clear the Wildcats were the superior team, as they outshot the Blazers 18-5 in the first period and generated multiple scoring chances. It also helped that Saint Ben's was called for multiple penalties in the opening period. The first was for tripping at 6:48 and later hooking at 11:53, which gave St. Kate's two power play opportunities. While the Wildcats sent a plethora of shots Julia Carle's way, the sophomore transfer for the Blazers was steady and did not allow a single shot to find the back of the net.

Abbi White (Wyoming, Minn. / Forest Lake) was just as strong in goal for the Wildcats, saving all five shots she faced in the first period. Cassie Thomas (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) even got to play goalie in the first 20 minutes of play, as she made a diving save in front of an open net to keep Saint Ben's from taking a 1-0 lead.

After 10 minutes of neutral play in the second period, St. Kate's was finally able to erase the zero on its side of the scoreboard. After Saint Ben's took a penalty for hooking at 9:33, the Wildcats had their fourth power play of the evening. For St. Kate's, the fourth time proved to be the charm. Thomas took a shot from the left circle, which Carle was there to save. However, the rebound dribbled behind her right skate, and senior forward Jordan Solheim (Thief River Falls, Minn. / Thief River Falls) was there to pick it up. The senior's backhand easily found the back of the net for her team-leading 20^th point of the season and to give St. Kate's the 1-0 lead midway through the game.

However, Saint Ben's was not going down without a fight and scored the equalizer with a little over three minutes remaining in the second period. The score would stay like that for the next 23 minutes of play, as neither team managed to score in the third period. Both, though, had plenty of chances. While the Blazers managed to stay out of the penalty box in the third period, the Wildcats still generated plenty of scoring opportunities but they were unable to gain the advantage. On the flip side, St. Kate's players were sent to the penalty box twice in the third period, and each time, White and her defense were successfully able to kill the penalty.

When regulation ended, the score was still knotted 1-1, meaning an extra five minute overtime period would be needed to decide the winner of the game. Again, both teams tried to come up with the game winner, but both were unsuccessful. Midway through the five minute overtime, Solheim found a breaking Laken Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) in the crease, but Carle was there to make the save.

Saint Ben's best chance to score came in the final minute of extra time. MIAC goal leader Elli Marvin managed to break away from the Wildcat defenders, leaving her one-on-one with White. Fortunately, the senior goal didn't fall for Marvin's fake left and made the glove save, preserving the 1-1 tie.

Despite the final score, St. Kate's actually won in the shots department, outshooting the Blazers 40-22. As a team, the Wildcats were one for four on power play opportunities while Saint Ben's was 0-5.

With the tie, St. Kate's overall record improved to 7-11-2 while the team's MIAC mark moves to 3-8-2. The Wildcats will return to the ice on Saturday in St. Cloud, Minnesota when they take on the Blazers in the second game of the series. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.