After a two-game sweep against St. Norbert last weekend, the College of Saint Benedict hockey team (3-8-1) travels to Wisconsin River-Falls (12-2-1) Â tomorrow (Jan. 13th) to play its final nonconference match of the season. River Falls is coming off stretch in which they have won nine of the past ten games.
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The Schedule:
Blazers @ UW River Falls, 7:05 pm, Wednesday, January 13th, River Falls, Wisc.
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The Records:
CSB: 3-8-1 (1-4-1 MIAC)
UWRF: 12-2-1 (5-1-0 WIAC)
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Who to Watch:
CSB:
So. F Brigette Miller | Scored the Blazers lone goal against St. Norbert, raising her team-leading goal total to six
Fy. G Angel Hillstrom | Leads the MIAC with 292 saves this year
Jr. D Maddie Rainey | Defender leads the team with 13 blocked shots this year
UWRF:
Sr. F Chloe Kinsel | Leads the WIAC with 16 goals and 20 points in 14 games
Jr. F Dani Sibley | Tied for the WIAC lead with 10 assists
So. G Angie Hall | Leads the WIAC with a 1.23 goals against average
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About the Falcons
Favored to win the four-team WIAC, the Falcons have caught fire of late. The last time they lost a game was November 13th against Stevens Point by a 1-2 score. They are led by an offense which is averaging 4.0 goals per game and has scored 52 goals in just 14 games this season. They are led by five returning All-WIAC players, including Kinsel, who led the conference in goals, points and assists last year.
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The Storyline:
River Falls Head Coach Joe Cranston is currently at 299 career victories, meaning a victory against the Blazers would make him the third coach in NCAA DIII history to reach 300. Meanwhile, the Blazers are looking to use this last nonconference game to build some momentum heading into the back half of their conference season. They have had a tough schedule the past six games, all against programs that consistently expect to make the NCAA playoffs. Wisconsin River Falls is another such team. The Blazers are hoping the result will be more similar to their upset win and draw against No. 9 Gustavus than their sweep by St. Norbert.
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Last Time:
Last year, the Falcons came to St. Cloud ranked as the No. 7 team in the country. They proved their ranking that night, beating the Blazers by a 9-2 score. Kinsel scored a hat trick in that game. After getting down 0-4, the Blazers showed spurts of a comeback with goals from Elli Marvin and Brigette Miller, but were not able to complete the comeback.
