ST. PAUL, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict hockey team and St. Thomas combined for three goals in the first period, but neither team scored again Friday night in the first of the two-game series. Unfortunately for Saint Benedict, it was the Tommies that scored twice as the Bennies came up just short in a 2-1 loss in St. Paul.
 
This marks CSB's second straight one-goal loss to St. Thomas. Last season in St. Paul, the Bennies also fell 2-1 after a close battle. CSB is now 9-9-1 overall and 4-9 in the MIAC.
 
Friday night, the Tommies (12-5-3, 11-2) scored in the first minute of the game, and added the eventual game-winner at the 17:52 mark of the first period. Senior Mollie Wise got her team within one with her 12^th goal of the season just over a minute later, but the Bennies couldn't get past UST's goalie a second time.
 
Wise's goal came at the 18:59 mark of the first period off assists from Annika Brodt – her 12^th of the season – and Lily Aamodt. The two teams were even in the second period with the Tommies putting nine shots on CSB goalie Kailee Medved and the Bennies putting seven shots on net, but neither team could score.
 
The third period was all Saint Benedict as the team outshot UST 10-2, including two straight from Brodt and a trio of shots from Emily Lemker, Maria Wallace and Courtney Conlin, but Tommie goalie Eryn Cooley stopped them all.
 
CSB pulled Medved for the final 50 seconds of the game, and Wise put a shot on net, but the Tommies held on for the win.
 
Both teams finished with 22 shots on net Friday night. Wise led her team with four shots on net and Aamodt and Brodt both added three. Medved stopped 20 of the 22 shots she faced to keep the Bennies in the game.
 
CSB gets another shot at the Tommies – who are second in the MIAC – at 2 p.m. Saturday at the MAC in St. Cloud.