ST. PAUL, MINN. – In 20 years of existence, the St. Catherine University hockey team has had quite a bit of success. The Wildcats have made four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoff appearances, including a trip to the championship game in 2010. Saturday afternoon, St. Kate's continued its push for a fifth playoff appearance, beating the College of Saint Benedict 3-1 to complete the MIAC series sweep.
Like Friday night, the Wildcats were the first team to strike with a first period goal. Unlike Friday, St. Kate's scored in roughly the first 10 minutes of the game, as Brede Postier (Byron, Minn. / Hamline) and Sara Brakke (Rochester, Minn. / Mayo) found MacKenzie Ess (Apple Valley, Minn. / Burnsville) near the blue line exactly halfway through the period. Ess, then, found the back of the net, as her slapshot sailed past the Blazer goalie to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Saint Ben's managed to tie the game at one nearly five minutes later. After Tori Gruett (Woodbury, Minn. / Revolution) was sent to the penalty box for a slash, the Blazers scored on the ensuing power play opportunity, tying the game with a fluke goal at 1-1. Fortunately, the score didn't stay knotted at one for long, as Tori Thompson (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) continued her outstanding weekend by scoring her second goal of the series, extending the Wildcats lead to 2-1 with one minute remaining in the first period.
St. Kate's added a third goal in the second period, courtesy of first year forward Emilee Anderson (Chanhassen, Minn. / Chanhassen). Anderson scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season at 3:42 in the second with assists to Karly Nelson (East Grand Forks, Minn. / East Grand Forks) and Lexi Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley).
The Wildcats also played outstanding defense in the second period, holding the Blazers to just six shots on goal in 20 minutes of play. Four of those six shots came during Saint Ben's power play opportunity at 9:48 in the period, when Thompson was sent to the box for checking. St. Kate's was able to kill the penalty with ease and the team held a 3-1 advantage over the Blazers at the second intermission.
The third period was by far the roughest of the game, as both teams were called for various penalties throughout. Saint Ben's Courtney Conlin was called for two penalties in the third period alone, including a five minute major for boarding with eight minutes remaining in regulation. Sadly, St. Kate's couldn't convert on either of its power play opportunities, but the team did manage to kill its one penalty. The Wildcats and goalie Bryce Boreen (Cottage Grove, Minn. / Park-Cottage Grove) survived the Blazers last minute push, as they pulled goalie Kailee Medved for an extra skater to try and even the sore. Thanks to outstanding defensive play by St. Kate's, Saint Ben's was unsuccessful, resulting in the 3-1 victory.
The Wildcats tallied 34 shots over three periods of play, the majority of which were taken by Thompson. On the flip side, Boreen faced 24 shots and made 23 saves en route to her third win of the season.
With the win, St. Kate's improves to 6-12-1 and holds a 5-6-1 mark in MIAC play. The Wildcats will return to the ice next week, when they face No. 4 Gustavus Adolphus College in a two game series February 2 and 3.
