ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After a tough pair of losses to Augsburg this past weekend, the College of Saint Benedict hockey team is hoping to turn things around with a pair of games against MIAC opponent St. Olaf. The Bennies start the weekend off with a 7 p.m. game Friday, Jan. 31, in Northfield. Then on Saturday, Feb. 1, the two teams match up at Ritschie Arena in St. Cloud. Puck drop is at 3 p.m.
 
About the Oles
St. Olaf has had a tough season so far as the Oles are 0-15-2 overall and 0-10 in conference play. Their most recent loses come from St. Kates University, falling 3-2 last Friday and 3-1 on Saturday. So far they have had many close games that just haven't ended up going their way. Overall this season the Oles have had 14 goals, out of their total of 301 shots.  Johanna Glaaser is leading the team with four goals and Mary Kate Eiden and Annika Patterson are right behind each with three goals. In net the Oles rotate between four goalies all who are at or above a 0.88 save percentage so far this season.
 
Last Meeting
These two teams met earlier this season in St. Cloud in a nonconference game. CSB won 5-1, outshooting the Oles 36-19. CSB's goals came from five different players, including Emily Lemker who scored her first collegiate points in the game. In net was Kailee Medved who had 18 saves in net as well as getting her first win of the season. Overall against St. Olaf, Saint Benedict is 11-23-4, averaging 2.21 goals per game.
 
Story Line
This weekend's set of games is important for CSB, which heads into the weekend at 2-8 in the conference. The Bennies are looking to gain some momentum going into the end of their season. Coming up, Saint Benedict is playing some tough opponents, including St. Thomas Feb. 7 and 8 and Gustavus Feb. 14 and 15. CSB is also looking to match its best win total in more than a decade. One more win would put the Bennies at eight for the season – the most wins for the team since 2008-09.
 
Who to Watch
CSB overall is able to utilize many players to make plays and score, with 14 players putting the puck in the net so far this season. Rylan Bistodeau is leading the Bennies overall with seven goals and Mollie Wise and Annika Brodt are right behind with six each. In net Maggie Gilchrist and Ally Frantzick have been rotating, each with about a 0.918 save percentage. Gilchrist has seen180 shots so far and Frantzick leads the team with 211 saves.