BOX SCORE

Holding a potent Saint Thomas offense to 1-8 on power play chances, the College of Saint Benedict rode strong defensive play and a stellar game from senior goalie Abbie Helminen (Brighton, MI, Brighton (Belle Tire) in tying the Tommies 1-1 tonight in Saint Paul. The tie snapped a ten game losing streak against the Tommies and vaulted the Blazers near the top of the MIAC with two points through three conference games.

Allowing just their second goal in the first period all season to fall behind 1-0, Saint Benedict quickly recovered when sophomore defender Linnea Chruscielski (Duluth, MN, Duluth East) scored her first goal as a Blazer unassisted at 14:33 in the second period to even the game at 1-1.

Saint Benedict was led by senior forward Gretchen Leyendecker (Rochester, MN, Lourdes) who recorded seven shots on net, while Helminen collected 31 total saves.

“To get a point on the road against a top tier team such as Saint Thomas is big for this program,” head coach Pat Michaud said. “We did a lot of the little things that we had to do tonight.”

The Blazers return home to the MAC to finish their series with the Tommies tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm.