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Bethel on Big Day: The College of Saint Benedict hockey team (5-9-4 overall, 3-9-2 MIAC) hosts conference opponent Bethel (11-8-2 overall, 8-4-2 MIAC) for a home-and-home split series starting Feb. 15. The series kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the MAC, with Friday night marking hockey's Blazer Big Day, where fellow student-athletes will be out at the rink in full force to show their support. The two teams then close out the series at 3 p.m., Saturday (Feb. 16) at Bethel Arena at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.
About Bethel: Bethel is currently ranked fourth in the MIAC and is riding a three-game win streak. The Royals swept Augsburg last weekend, taking game one 2-1 in Minneapolis before winning 4-0 at home. The Royals are led in points by Christina Mastenk who has notched 23 points this season, and is ranked second in the MIAC. She has a team-leading 14 goals and is second with nine assists. The Royals also rely on Biz Huss, ranked fifth in the conference in points (20) from 11 goals and nine assists. The Royals have been strong between the pipes this season, led by Erika Allen and her a 1.33 GAA with a .947 save percentage, ranking third in the MIAC. Jess Newstrom has also put up impressive numbers with a .926 save percentage and a 2.18 GAA.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams met was Feb. 17-18, 2012. Bethel swept the Blazers 3-1 and 4-2. The Blazers held leads in the second period of each game, scoring first and carrying a 1-0 lead through intermission the first night, before scoring twice in the second to go up 2-1 the second night. In each case, the Royals responded with three unanswered goals as they ran their unbeaten streak to four straight games by the end of the weekend.
The Storyline: The Blazers head into their second-to-last series of the season in a must win situation. In order to have any hopes at making the five-team playoff cut, the Blazers will have to win out and get a little help from other MIAC teams. The Blazers are also still looking for that elusive win that will bring them past last season's win total.
Who to Watch: Leading the Blazers in points is sophomore
Alli O'Brien. O'Brien has accumulated 10 points in 15 games. She also leads the team in goals (5) and assists (5), scoring her career high fifth goal of the season last Saturday against St. Olaf. Junior Allyson Nielsen has been having a good season, notching nine points on five goals and four assists. Sophomore goaltender
Jenna Traut is fourth in the conference in GAA (1.73) and has earned a .942 save percentage.
Last Time Out: Last weekend the Blazers lost two close games to St. Olaf. The Oles took game one of the series 3-2 at the MAC before taking the sweep 3-1 in Northfield. The Blazers struck first in each game, including 1-0 and 2-1 leads on Friday night. On Saturday, the Oles led 2-1 in the third, before adding an empty netter.
