SAINT JOSEPH, Minn. – After three straight wins, the College of Saint Benedict Hockey Team (12-8) has a busy schedule this week which begins with a road test against No. 1 UW-River Falls (20-2) on Tuesday, Feb. 7 in River Falls, Wis. CS faces UW-River Falls, winners of 12 straight games, at 7:05 p.m. at Hunt Arena in River Falls, Wis. 

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Next Up
After this Tuesday night, CSB will have consecutive home-and-home series with St. Olaf College on Feb. 10-11 and St. Catherine on Feb. 17-18. The game vs St. Olaf at the Ritsche Arena is 4 p.m., on Feb. 11 and the St. Catherine game is 4 p.m., on Feb. 18. Following the game against St. Catherine, the  MIAC Quarterfinals will be held, involving the top six teams.

Ice Notes  

By the Numbers
This season the Bennies have opened 12-8 with a 9-5 record in the MIAC. After three straight wins, including a 4-2 win at UW-Superior and a home sweep of Saint Mary's, the Bennies have the second most wins in program history with 12 and the nine league wins is tied for the most in school history.  The Bennies are off to their best start since the 2000-2001. With 12 wins this season, the Bennies have surpassed the win total of a year ago and it is the eighth double-digit win total in school history. The most wins in a season was 1999-00 at 14-12-1, 6-7-1 in league play with head coach Tom Peart. 

CSB has a 7-4 home mark with a 5-4 road mark. CSB has outshot 15-of-20 opponents and own a 629-to-512 shots advantage and a 56-to-47 goals margin. The Bennies have a combined for 465 saves while opponents have 573.

Saint Ben's ranks third in the league with 2.78 goals per game on 50 total. The Bennies also rank fifth in goals allowed at 2.44 (44 goals) the 16 games played. In terms of points per game, CSB is fifth in the league at 6.56 on its 118 total points while sitting third in the league in shots on goals per game at 32.17. In terms of penalty-killing percentage the Bennies are eight at .817 (15 goals allowed) and fourth in power-play percentage at .153 (nine goals). In addition, CSB is seventh in face-off winning percentage of .479 (488-of-1018).

Opsahl named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 6
After scoring a goal in three consecutive wins, sophomore forward Aurora Opsahl of the College of Saint Benedict Hockey Team has been named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hockey Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 6. A nursing major from Duluth, Minn., Opsahl earned her first-ever MIAC weekly honor. She scored three goals - one in each of three games this week - to lead the Bennies to a three-game winning streak.  Opsahl, who ranks in the top sixth in the MIAC in assists (13), third in points (23) and 5th in shots (96), totaled four points with 11 shots, two blocks and won a face off in a win over UW-Superior, 4-2; and a weekend sweep (Feb. 3-4) of Saint Mary's, 3-1; and 3-2 OT in MIAC play. In the win over UW-Superior on Tuesday (Jan. 31), , she had the first goal for CSB. She scored the game-winner in the third period in a 3-1 win over Saint Mary's on Friday (Feb. 3) and then had the game-tying goal in the dramatic 3-2 overtime win on Saturday (Feb. 4) over Saint Mary's.  

CSB swept MIAC weekly honors for first time in school history Nov. 22
For the first time in program history, the Bennies had a pair of student-athletes sweep the MIAC Weekly honors. After two goals and an assist, junior forward Corrine Brown was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week while sophomore goaltender Kate Moffat earned MIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after 40 minutes of shutout goaltending in a 6-0 win over Wisconsin-Superior on Nov. 22. In addition, Brown was named the CSB Athlete of the Week for her career-best performance. This week, Jenna Timm (game-winning goal in overtime in 4-3 win over Hamline on Jan. 20) and Ava Stinnett (game-winning goal in 3-2 win over Hamline on Jan. 21) were named CSB Athletics Athlete of the Week.

Inside the Numbers – CSB Players
In terms of individuals, sophomore forward Aurora Opsahl is the team-lead in goals scored with 10. Opsahl, who has 13 career goals, leads the team in assists with 13 and points with 23. She also has a team-high 96 shots. Opsahl ranks sixth in the MIAC in assists with 0.65 per game and her points rank her third with 1.15 per game on 23 points. Opsahl was announced as a MIAC athlete of the week on February 6 after school goals in three straight wins.

Junior forward Corrine Brown has totaled 16 points with and average of 0.94 per game. She is tenth in assists with 10 and she has six goals for third on the squad. Brown, who has 11 career goals and 18 career assists for 29 career points, is seventh in the league with 4.18 shots per game on 71 total attempts.

Sophomore forward Ava Stinnett is tied for second on the team in points with 16 as she has seven goals and nine assists. She is second in the league with four game-winning shots. Stinnett has 12 career goals and 17 assists for 29 career points. Stinnett ranks fourth in the MIAC for Face-Off Wins/Total Face-Offs with 199 wins and 422 total. Ava was announced as the CSB athlete of the week for the week of February 6th.

Emma Rooks is second for a team-high of eight goals and with three assists has 11 total points, ranking her fourth on the team. A sophomore forward, Rooks has nine career goals and four assists for 13 points.

Sophomore defense standout Jenna Timm has nine points with four goals and five assists. An All-MIAC performer a year ago, Timm now has totaled nine goals and 17 assists for 26 career points.

Sophomore forward Shauna Miller has totaled two goals and four assists for six points in her sophomore year. A forward, Miller has four career goals and eight total points. She ranks 10^th in the MIAC in face-off winning percentage at .567 percent with 127 wins and 97 losses.

In goal, senior Ally Frantzick, who was named the CSB Athlete of the Week on Nov. 14, has a pair of shutouts this year and a 9-7-0 record. She has allowed 2.36 goals per game with 39 goals allowed while recording 382 saves. In her career, she has a 13-19-1 record, 1,130 saves.  
Sophomore Kate Moffatt has a 5-2-0 record in two starts with 1.51 goals allowed averaged. She has 89 saves and a .937 save percentage.

Season Notes

After opening with a 0-3 record, CSB has rebounded nine wins in 14 matches to move to fourth in the conference. CSB's six goals in consecutive wins over Wisconsin-Superior (6-0, Nov. 22) and St. Scholastica (6-2), is the most since defeating Northland, 7-4 and 7-1 on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, 2016. In that 6-2 win over St. Scholastica, sophomore forward Emma Rooks recorded the first hat trick at CSB since Mollie Wise had three goals in a win against St. Olaf on Jan. 31, 2020. 

CSB had a three-game winning streak after a 3-2 road win at Concordia College – Moorhead on Nov. 11 and a 4-0 decision over the Cobbers at Ritsche Arena on Saturday, Nov. 12. In a 1-0, over Concordia University Wisconsin on the road on Nov. 5, sophomore Jenna Timm scored the game-winning goal at 12:47 of the second period. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak and provided first-year Head Coach Lindsay Macy with her first career win at CSB. In the win, Timm scored her first goal of the year and the sixth of her career. Interestingly, she had her second career goal against CUW and scored this time on the same date as a year ago on Nov. 5 when she had her first career goal. Earlier this year the Bennies had lost to CUW, 3-2, and a 4-3 overtime decision to No. 8 UW-Eau Claire at home. The Blugolds also took a 4-1 decision in the opener. Most recently the Bennies suffered 5-2 and 5-1 defeats to No. 1 Gustavus in home-and-home series. After a sweep of Hamline, 4-3 in overtime and 3-2, the Bennies fell to Augsburg, 2-1 and 3-2. In nonconference play on Tuesday, Jan. 31, CSB had a 4-2 win over UW-Superior with goals by Aurora Opsahl, Ava Stinnett, Jamie Benzie and Jamie Bimberg (career-first). Against St. Mary's on Friday, Feb. 3, with a first period goal by Hackley and late goals by Opsahl and Rooks, CSB won the first game of the weekend. For the second game of the series against St. Mary's, after two goals scored in the first period, goals by Kraemer and Opsahl tied the game up leading into first overtime. A goal in OT by Stinnett took the Bennies to their second win of the weekend against St. Mary's.  

Breaking down UW-River Falls
UW-River Falls is directed by Head Coach Joe Cranston who is now 149-45-22 overall at UW. Cranston enters his 24th season as the women's hockey coach in 2022-23. He is the first and only head coach in UW-River Falls women's hockey history. UW is 20-2 (10-0), starting the season with a loss by one against Augsburg on Oct. 29, 2022 before eight straight wins against St. Mary's, 5-2; Wis.-Stevens Point, 4-0; Northland, 8-0; St. Scholastica 5-1; Wis.-Eau Claire 3-2; St. Olaf, 7-2; Plattsburgh St., 3-2.; and Middlebury, 3-2, ending their streak with a loss to Gustavus, 2-0. Since that setback, they have won 12 straight with 12-1 win over UW-Superior on Feb. 4 after defeating No. 2 Gustavus, 2-1 in overtime on Jan. 31. As a team, they have 979 shots and 121 goals while opponents have made 387 shots and 26 goals. Maddie McCollins with 39 points on 21 goals and 18 assists for a team lead with Megan Goodreu following with 25 points on 15 goals and 10 assists. Bailey Olson has 28 points on 11 goals and 17 assists while Abigail Stow has 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists. In goal, Sami Miller has totaled a 12-1-0 record this season with 1.22 goals allowed average and 314 saves (.943 save percentage) and Jordan O'Connor with a 5-1-0 with 1.24 goals allowed average and 80 saves (.920 save percentage).

Series Notes
This will be the 14^th meeting between the two schools as CSB has five wins and lost nine times. CSB lost the last matchup on Feb. 8, 2022, 3-7. The Bennies are 2-5 in away match ups and 3-4 in home games. UW won the first match up, 1-3, on Nov. 12th, 1997.

MIAC Notes – Competition runs from Nov. 10 to Feb. 18
MIAC league play will run through Saturday, Feb. 18 with teams scheduled to play 18 conference matches, including two games against each MIAC opponent. The top five teams at the end of the regular season will meet in the 2023 MIAC Women's Hockey Playoffs. The quarterfinals are set Thursday, Feb. 23 with semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 25 and the championship on Saturday, March 4. The winner of the MIAC playoffs earns the league's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA DIII Hockey Championships.
 
Macy leads CSB to best MIAC start since 2000-01
Lindsay Macy is in her first year as head coach at St. Ben's. Hired on May 2 as the program's eighth head coach, Macy earned her first career win at CSB in a 1-0 decision over Concordia University Wisconsin on Nov. 5 in Mequon, Wis. She has the program off to its best start in the MIAC since 2000-01. She came to Saint Benedict after two seasons as the head women's hockey coach at Finlandia University, and she brings plenty of coaching experience as well as high-level playing experience. Prior to joining CSB, Macy served as head coach at Finlandia since May 2020, and she orchestrated a rebuild of the program in her two seasons. She earned NCHA Coach of the Year honors – a first in Finlandia women's hockey history – after guiding the Lions to their best record since the 2017-18 season.

Macy also owns Relentless Hockey, a summer hockey school in Idaho that trains hockey players at all levels of the game. She started her coaching career at the Coeur D'Alene Hockey Academy in Cour d'Alene, Idaho, where she spent three seasons as the general manager and head coach of the U19 women's team that competed as the only U.S. team in the prestigious Canadian Sport School Hockey League. Macy was an assistant for both the boys' and girls' varsity hockey programs in her hometown of Owatonna, and served as the head coach of the JV boys' team.

Before stepping on the ice as a coach, Macy had a successful playing career that started in high school and continued through a stint with the Minnesota Whitecaps and the U22 National Team. She started her collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin where she scored 74 points in 66 games and finished her career at MSU-Mankato where she scored 44 points in 62 games. She helped the Whitecaps win the Western Women's Hockey League championship and reach the Clarkston Cup Final in 2008-09.