St. Peter, Minn. – The Saint Benedict hockey team handed No. 7 Gustavus their first loss in conference play with a 4-2 win on the road tonight (Jan. 31).

It was also the Gusties first loss in MIAC play in nearly two years, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012. Entering 10-0 in conference play, the Gusties were 18-0 last season, before the Blazers broke a 30-game MIAC winning streak tonight.
 
The Blazers jumped out to an early lead and never trailed, getting goals from four different players as they beat Gustavus for the first time in program history. The Gusties entered the game 33-0-0 all-time against CSB, and won 8-2 the last time the two teams met.
 
It is also the first win over a ranked team for third-year head coach Jennifer Kranz. The closest the Blazers came was a 3-3 tie to then No. 10 Concordia on Nov. 2 last season, and a 3-2 win over St. Catherine on Nov. 30 last year when the Wildcats were just outside the rankings, receiving votes in the USCHO.com poll.
 
The Blazers broke out in the first, starting less than three minutes in. Aly Hoffman (Chaska, Minn.) took over a loose puck in the neutral zone and gave the Blazers (5-13-0, 2-9-0 MIAC) a quick 1-0 lead at the 2:57 mark. Hoffman broke a stretch of over 80 minutes where the Gusties had not allowed a goal.
 
Just six minutes later the Blazers were on the board again, this time with Stephanie Kirk (Minnetonka, Minn.) scoring an unassisted tally at 8:38 to put the Blazers up 2-0.
 
In a period where the Gusties (12-4-2, 10-1-0 MIAC) outshot the Blazers 11-to-9, it was the Blazers coming out with the 3-0 edge. With a power play winding down at the 11:58 mark, Elli Marvin (Shoreview, Minn.) scored off an assist from Kirk for the three-goal lead.
 
Coming out in the second the Gusties took the momentum early with their first of the game, less than four minutes into the period. But with CSB goaltender Jenna Traut (St. Cloud, Minn.) standing tall – making 13 saves in the period – the Blazers got one back late. Alli O'Brien (Stillwater, Minn.) got in the scoring mix at the 16:22 mark to regain the Blazers' three-goal lead as the went into the locker rooms for the second intermission.
 
Five minutes into the third, Gustavus pulled back within two, but that would be as much as they would get.
 
Traut went on to make 15 more saves in the third to preserve the monumental win. She finished with a season high 39 stops on the night, the third best mark of her career, and best since her first year in 2011-12. On the night the Gusties outshot the Blazers 41-to-20 but Traut was up to the challenge.
 
The Blazers and Gusties will square off again tomorrow (Feb. 1) with the series shifting to St. Cloud. The puck is set to drop at 2 p.m. as the Blazers go for the sweep.