MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The record-setting 2022-23 season by the College of Saint Benedict (14-12) came to a close after a 5-2 loss to Augsburg (18-6-2) in the MIAC Tourney Semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

The second seeded Auggies advanced to the MIAC Tournament Championship on March 4 and will face the winner of No. 1 Gustavus and No. 5 Hamline, which will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26.

For the third-seeded Bennies, 2022-23 was a historical and record-setting season. It was a remarkable campaign for Saint Ben's, which tied for the all-time record for wins in a season with 14. The 1999-00 team also had 14 wins as part of a 14-12-1 season. With a 3-1 win over St. Catherine on Feb. 18 at Ritsche Arena, the Bennies clinched the No. 3 seed in the MIAC Tourney. It represented the highest seed and finish by a CSB hockey program in school history. The Bennies finished 11-7 in league play which is also a school mark for most league wins.  

"I am certainly proud of this team for their hard work and resilient effort," said first-year Head Coach Lindsay Macy. "We had an early lead today but could not sustain that early pace. We worked hard but just fell a little short. I like the promise of this team," she said.

In its first-ever semifinal tourney game, the Bennies jumped out to a 2-0 start after first-year standout Sami Hackley had her fourth goal of the season on a power play goal for a 1-0 lead. Hackley's goal came off an assist from Presley Kraemer at the 7:19 mark. Just 30 seconds later, sophomore Jenna Timm gave CSB a 2-0 lead on an even-handed tally off an assist by sophomore forward Aurora Opsahl.

After that, the home standing Auggies took control by scoring five unanswered goals. The Auggies were able to draw within, 2-1, on an even-strength goal by Kennedy Stein off an assist from Emily Cronkhite and Katie Flynn.  In the second period, Augsburg tied the game at 2-2 on an even-strength goal from Jenna Gerold off an assist by Nora Stepan and Chloe Stockinger.

At 14:18 mark of the second period, Katie Flynn scored an even-strength goal off the Cronkhite's second assist and one by Kennedy Stein for a 3-2 lead. In the third period, the Auggies took a 4-2 lead on an even-strength after goal from Emily Cronkhite off an assist from Payton Allen at 6:00. They capped the scoring with a power play goal by Carleigh Drill off an assist by Julianna Teske and Malia Schubert in the final 20 seconds.

After an early advantage, the Auggies had control on the offensive end with a 47-to-22 edge in shots. As a result, CSB senior goalie Allie Frantzick had 42 saves. In the opening period both teams had nine shots as the Bennies took the 2-1 lead. Then, Augsburg had a 23-to-9 edge in the second period in shots with a 15-to-4 margin in the final period. CSB won 34-of-74 face offs.

Final Notes – On the season, CSB had a 772-to-703 shots edge and was outscored, 71-to-70 in total goals. CSB had 90 assists on the 70 goals. Of that total, CSB had 10 power play goals, one short-handed, five empty net tallies with three in overtime and one hat trick by Emma Rooks.

Sophomore forward, Aurora Opsahl had a breakout season with 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points, which led the Bennies. Sophomore Ava Stinnett added seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points with junior Corrine Brown providing six goals and 10 assists. Jenna Timm also had six goals with nine assists for 15 points while sophomore Emma Rooks had nine goals and 13 points. In her senior campaign, Ally Frantzick finished with 11 wins and had 18 in her career. In 1,295:35 minutes on the ice this year, she allowed 2.36 goals per game and had 516 saves with a .910 save percentage. She also set a school record with four shutouts.