MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict hockey team picked up a key early season MIAC win Friday night when it defeated Augsburg College 3-2 in Minneapolis.
 
The loss was the first MIAC loss of the season for the Auggies, who are 3-4-2 overall and 3-1-1 in the conference. The Blazers improved to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in the MIAC.
 
The first period was scoreless despite Augsburg and CSB combining for 14 shots. Blazer senior goalie Jenna Traut made nine first-period saves to keep the Auggies off the board and the game scoreless.
 
Augsburg started the scoring five minutes into the second period when Callen Naasz scored her third goal of the season off an assist from Claire Cripps to put the Auggies up 1-0. That lead held for seven minutes when Allison Kirk scored her first goal of the season to tie the game at 1 with just over seven minutes left in the period. Siri Berg-Moberg and Liz Hermes were credited with assists.
 
The Blazers' celebration was barely over when the Auggies struck again, however. Twenty-two seconds after Kirk's goal, Rachel Hennessy scored for Augsburg to put the Auggies up 2-1 at the 13:19 mark of the second period.
 
Augsburg maintained that lead for the remainder of the second period, but Saint Benedict struck early in the third to tie the game a second time. Berg-Moberg scored a goal of her own at the 1:34 mark of the third period off an assist from Hermes – her second assist of the season.
 
The Blazers had 11 shots in the third period and held Augsburg to two, and CSB chased in on another of those shots late in the period. Aly Hoffman scored her third goal of the season and the game-winner at the 14:07 mark off an assist from Tara Frey to put Saint Benedict up for good. The Auggies pulled their goalie in the final 10 seconds of the game, but CSB held on for the win.
 
Saint Benedict outshot the Auggies 29-28. Berg-Moberg finished with four shots and Elli Marvin and Allison and Stephanie Kirk each finished with three. Traut finished the night with 26 saves for Saint Benedict.
 
The Blazers and Auggies meet again at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, when the two teams play at the MAC in St. Cloud.