ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – In 2019-20, the College of Saint Benedict hockey team put together its best season in nearly 20 years.
 
The Bennies were ready to build on that momentum and put together an even better season in 2020-21, but COVID had other ideas. CSB played a nine-game season that was full of last-minute schedule changes and a carousel of opponents last season, and now, as the 2021-22 season gets under way this weekend, Saint Benedict is ready to use that momentum from two years ago to make some big moves.
 
Saint Benedict starts the season Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30, with a pair of nonconference road games against UW-Eau Claire. The two teams play at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Hobbs Arena in Eau Claire, Wis. Per UWEC policy, spectators must be masked at all times in Hobbs.
 
Head coach Nick Thibault has a solid core of returning talent and a talented first-year class as he begins his fourth season with the program. Seniors Annika Brodt, Julia Pias, Zoe Culshaw-Klein and Maggie Gilchrist have all been with the program for four seasons, and all look to contribute to the team's success on and off the ice this year.
 
Brodt led the team in points as a sophomore in 2019 and Pias was third. The duo finished that year first and second on the team in assists. Culshaw-Klein paced the defense that year with 22 blocked shots, and Gilchrist had 180 saves in the net. Last year, Gilchrist led the team with 143 saves in five games started.
 
Also returning in the net for Saint Benedict is junior goalie Ally Frantzick. After earning All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors as a first year in 2019, Frantzick made 117 saves last season – including a career-best 46 saves against a ranked Hamline squad.
 
Back on the Bennies' front line is sophomore Brynn Sexauer, who had a team-high five points on four goals and one assist in the shortened 2020-21 season. Rachel DeCesare had a solid sophomore season with four points on two goals and two assists, and sophomore Corrine Brown had three points last season.
 
After hitting the road this weekend, CSB is home for a pair of games Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5 and 6, when it hosts Concordia-Wisconsin. The Bennies open MIAC play at home Thursday, Nov. 11, when they host Bethel at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud. All of the team's games will be played on Ritsche Arena. Per MIAC policy, fans must be masked at all times, regardless of vaccination status.