St. Paul, Minn. – The Saint Benedict hockey team closed out the season today (Feb. 22), falling 2-1 to No. 9 ranked and MIAC Champion St. Thomas.
 
The Blazers (7-18-0, 4-14-0 MIAC) gave the champs all they could handle though, playing a full 60 minutes before the Tommies (17-5-3, 14-2-2 MIAC) secured the title.
 
After a scoreless first the two teams traded goals in the second, heading to the third period tied at one. The Tommies scored to go-ahead first, but before the period would end, the Blazer came back.
 
Scoring her fifth goal of the year, Maddie Rainey evened the score, and for the second straight night the Blazers were tied in the second period with the ninth-ranked Tommies. Katie Cristan logged the assist on the goal, her third of the season.
 
Just one night after allowing five goals to the Tommies, the Blazers had them in check heading into the final 20 minutes.
 
Then in the third, however, St. Thomas got their much needed score to go up 2-1 on their way to the win.
 
Kaitlyn Rolando played between the pipes for the Blazers, holding the high-powered Tommies to their lowest scoring output in three games.
 
The loss is the fourth by a single goal this season, and their third one-goal loss to a team that was either ranked or receiving votes at the time of the game.
 
With seven wins on the season, it the highest total for the Blazers since winning eight in the 2008-09 season. The Blazers graduate just three seniors, but return six of their top-seven scorers, including each of the top three. With her goal today, Rainey now has 10 points on the season, making it a trio of first-years (Stephanie Kirk, Elli Marvin) with double-digit point totals on the year.