ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict hockey team knew its weekend series against St. Olaf was big to get the second half of its season and its return to MIAC play started on the right foot.
The Blazers got down 2-0 in both games against the Oles, but in both games, junior Elli Marvin stepped in and took over and helped CSB gain some valuable momentum.
Marvin scored a pair of goals in each conference game and added the Blazers’ lone goal against River Falls, and also totaled two assists on the weekend to take over as leader of nearly every offensive category for Saint Benedict. For her huge weekend, she has been named the CSB Athlete of the Week.
The Blazers (5-9-1, 3-4-1) started the week with a rare Wednesday game against No. 8 UW-River Falls. Saint Benedict fell 11-1, and Marvin scored the team’s lone goal – her fourth of the season.
Marvin, a junior forward from Shoreview, Minn., doubled her total goals and points in the Blazers’ weekend MIAC series with St. Olaf. Friday night in Northfield, Saint Benedict was down 2-0 after the first period. Aly Hoffman scored a short-handed goal in the fifth minute of the second period, and Marvin tied the game less than two minutes later with her first goal of the weekend.
Liz Hermes scored the eventual game-winner in the final two minutes of the second period, but Marvin added some insurance three minutes into the final period with her second goal of the night.
Marvin’s scoring ability proved to be even more crucial in Saturday’s game at the MAC. After a scoreless first period, the Oles scored midway through the second and took a 2-0 lead thanks to a second goal midway through the third period. Marvin got CSB on the board with just over six minutes to play, and things just snowballed from there for the Blazers.
After Marvin’s goal at 13:52, Brigette Miller scored off an assist from Marvin with 1:02 left to play to tie the game. With the score tied 2-2 as time wound down the game appeared to be headed to overtime, but Marvin got the puck in front of the Oles’ net and shoveled the puck up over St. Olaf’s goalie for the game-winner with just 15 seconds left to play.
After her big week offensively, Marvin leads CSB in points (12), goals (8) and assists (4) and is second on the team behind Miller with 43 shots on net. She is tied for fifth in the MIAC in both points and goals.
Marvin and the Blazers look to keep their offensive outburst going this weekend when they play a pair of games against Bethel. CSB is at Bethel at 7 p.m. Friday, and home against the Royals at 3 p.m. Saturday at the MAC in St. Cloud.
