Currently tied with three other teams on the playoff bubble, the College of Saint Benedict hockey team has a huge weekend ahead of itself with a home-and-home series against No. 6 Gustavus. Last year the Blazers swept the then-No. 7 Gusties, handing them their third and fourth losses of the season.
 
The Schedule:
Friday: Saint Benedict @ Gustavus, 7:00 p.m., Friday Jan. 30th, St. Peter, Minn.
Saturday: Gustavus @ Saint Benedict, 4:15 p.m., Saturday Jan. 31st, Municipal Athletic Complex, St. Cloud, Minn.
 
The Records:
CSB: 5-7-2 (4-4-2 MIAC)
GAC: 13-2-2 (9-0-1 MIAC)
 
About the Gusties: The Gusties roll into this weekend undefeated in conference play and riding a five-game winning streak. They are led by the conference's stingiest defense, which is allowing just 1.34 goals per game this season. That defense is anchored by junior goalie Lindsey Hibbard, who is second in the MIAC with a 0.943 save percentage. Although they are undefeated, they have yet to play St. Thomas and Bethel, the other top two teams in the MIAC preseason poll.
 
Who to Watch:
CSB:
So. F Elli Marvin (Leads the Blazers with seven goals, tied with Stephanie Kirk for team lead with 11 points)
So. F Stephanie Kirk (First on team with five assists, tied with Marvin for team lead with 11 points)
Sr. G Jenna Traut (Tops the MIAC with 341 saves this season)
 
GAC:
Fy. F Erica Power (Fourth in the MIAC in both points [16] and assists [10])
Jr. F Allison Eder-Zdechlik (Third in the MIAC with nine goals, despite having missed four games)
Jr. G Lindsey Hibbard (Second in the MIAC with a 1.23 goals against average)
 
Storyline: After pulling off one of the biggest upsets in program history last year, what will Head Coach Jen Kranz have in store for the Gusties this year? It was an aggressive forecheck that helped the Blazers surprise the Gusties last year, but this year there is no doubt the Gusties will be prepared to meet the Blazers at full speed. Aggressive offensive play and creativity will be the key to upsetting the Gusties for the second year in a row.
 
In the meantime, the Blazers need at least a tie this weekend to keep pace with the rest of the teams on the conference's playoff bubble, Augsburg and Concordia. Augsburg has a tough matchup this weekend in St. Thomas, while Concordia faces a less formidable opponent in Hamline.
 
Last Year: In 2014 the Blazers traveled to St. Peter on a Friday night and stole a game from the No. 7 Gusties. That game was the first victory over a nationally ranked opponent in Blazer hockey history. After waiting 14 years for the first Blazer victory over a ranked opponent, Blazer hockey faithful needed wait less than 24 hours for the second, as the Blazers beat the Gusties the following day on their home ice. Marvin scored once in each game, and was the only Blazer to score multiple goals over the weekend.
 
Last Time Out: Last weekend the Blazers won a game and tied a game against St. Catherine. On Friday night, the Blazers traveled to St. Paul and deftly defeated the Wildcats by a 3-1 score. Kirk, Marvin and Katie Cristan all scored goals in that game. On Saturday the Blazers hosted the Wildcats. The game went scoreless until mid-way through the third period when Brigette Miller gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats responded with a goal just six minutes later. The game went into overtime but neither team was able to score and the game ended in a draw. Traut made 52 saves on the weekend.