ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The College of Saint Benedict hockey team (7-10-2, 3-7-1 MIAC), will face a road test when the Bennies meet No. 14 Saint Mary's (15-4-0, 9-3-0 MIAC) in a two-game road series in MIAC action on Feb. 2-3. The Bennies face the Cardinals at 7 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 2, and again at 2 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 3, at SMU Ice Arena in Winona, Minn..
 
After the away games this weekend, Saint Benedict will host St. Olaf at 7 p.m., on Friday (Feb. 9) at Ritsche Arena. CSB, which is 7-10-2 overall, is 3-7-2 in the MIAC and sit in seventh place with 11 league points. The Cardinals are third in the conference at 9-3-0 with 27 MIAC points. No. 3 Gustavus has 33 MIAC points and sits in first with an 11-1-0 record, including 12-3-0 overall with (RV) Hamline (14-3-0 overall) a point back at 32 points and an 11-1-0 overall mark.  
 
Inside Look at Saint Benedict 
Saint Benedict has totaled 48 goals (2.5 per game, fifth, MIAC, 26th in DIII) and allowed 53. CSB has 58 assists (7th in the MIAC, 41st in DIII). The Bennies have a 52.1 percent success rate on face-offs for sixth in the MIAC. CSB has 97 team points for sixth in the MIAC while sitting 13th in the MIAC and 13th in NCAA DIII in shutouts with five on the season. By allowing 2.62 goals per game CSB is sixth in the MIAC.
 
In team stats, CSB has 550 saves to 529 for their opponents. In power plays, CSB has gone 8-of-61 while opponents are 13-of-68. CSB has won 611 face offs and lost 562 (52.1 percentage). CSB's eight power play goals ranks ninth in the MIAC and 44th nationally while its 0.145 power play percentage is ninth in the MIAC and 42nd in DIII.
 
Senior forward Corrine Brown is seventh in the MIAC and 51st in NCAA DIII with 0.59 assists per game. With four game-winning goals, junior forward Aurora Opsahl is fifth in DIII and third in the MIAC. She ranks 13th in DIII and fifth in the MIAC with 0.67 goals per game with 14 overall goals for fourth in the MIAC. Opsahl is 53rd in DIII and 20th in the MIAC with 0.94 points per game and has two power play goals. Junior center Ava Stinnett ranks seventh in DIII and first in the MIAC with 237 face-off wins with her 0.53 goals per game (ten total) placing her 21st in DIII and eighth in the MIAC.  Junior goalie Kate Moffat ranks seventh in the MIAC and 65th in DIII with a 0.919 save percentage. Also of note, CSB's Aurora Opsahl and Kate Moffat were named MIAC Athletes of the Week on Jan. 8.  
 
About the Cardinals
Saint Mary's, which has won 9-of-12 league games, is directed by head coach Chad Davis. As they face Saint Benedict, they have a seven-game winning streak and an overall 15-4 record to earn a No. 14 ranking in the most recent USCHO DIII national poll. The Cardinals are led offensively by Reese Heitzman with a league-high 14 goals and eight assists while Sophia Paduano has 11 goals with nine assists this season. In the net, Celeste Rimstad has 393 saves on the season with a .938 SV%.
 
Series History
In the all-time series, Saint Mary's holds an overall series lead of 34-16-3 against St. Ben's. The Bennies recorded a 3-2 win on Feb. 4, 2023 in the last match-up. At home vs. the Cardinals, CSB have a 9-18-1 record and sit 7-16-2 at SMU with a 14-32-3 MIAC record in games with the Cardinals. In the first match-up, the Bennies took a 3-2 win on Jan. 10, 1998. CSB has gone 5-4-1 in the past 10 match-ups.
 
Player Notes
Junior center Ava Stinnett  tallied five goals in a pair of shutout wins over Dubuque, 8-0 and 6-0 on Dec. 8-9 at home. Stinnett tied the program mark with four goals in a game against Dubuque on Dec. 8 in an 8-0 home win. She also had a goal and an assist against Dubuque in the 6-0 win on Dec. 9.
 
Stinnett, who has played in 68 career games, has 202 shots on net with 22 goals and 21 assists in her career. A year ago, she was third in the MIAC for face-off wins against total face-offs (261-of-558). She also tied for fifth in the MIAC with four game-winning goals of the seven goals she scored last year. Stinnett has six career-game-winning goals. She has 43 career points, including 13 in 2023-24, with 17 a year ago a career-high.
 
A returning All-MIAC performer, Opsahl has a team-best 12 goals (4th, MIAC) this season, including four in a home series against Lake Forest. In a 4-0 win over Lake Forest on Jan. 4, 2024, she secured her first career hat trick.  Opsahl, who has played in 63 career games, has 29 career goals, which ranks ninth all-time (tied with Molly Wise, 2016-20). She has 22 assists and 51 points, which ranks 10^th all-time at CSB. She is just four points from ninth (Erin Baldwin, 55, 2003-07). In her career, she has seven-game winning goals, which is tied for second all-time (Paul Vogt, 1998-01; Elli Marvin, 2013-17) and one away from first all-time at CSB (Susan Engel, 2001-05). She had a run of goals in five straight games earlier this year. Last year, she played in 26 games, with a career-high of two goals against UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 29, 2022. Opsahl tallied a goal in a school-record seven straight games as a sophomore. With a season-career-high 14 goals a year ago, she tied for 10^th all-time for a season at CSB.
  
Senior forward Corrine Brown, has scored two goals this season, including one against nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire on the road. She also had the game-winning overtime goal in the 5-4 decision over Concordia on Nov. 11. She now has 13 career goals, 28 assists, 203 shots and has played in 72 games. With 28 career assists, she and teammate Jenna Timm are tied for 10^th all-time in career assists (Jenna Timm, Kari Dykhoff, 2000-04; Katie Ponsolle, 2001-05). Brown has one multi-goal performance at CSB as she tallied two goals as a junior against UW- Superior on November 22, 2022. 
 
Junior forward Emma Rooks ranks third on Saint Benedict with seven goals this season and has 17 in her career. Rooks has totaled 24 career points and 135 shots. She has three multi-goal performances including two goals against Augsburg on Jan. 26. She also tallied two goals against St. Scholastica on Nov. 17, 2023 and she secured a hat trick against St. Scholastica on November 19, 2022. 
 
Blue Liners Making Impact for Bennies
A pair of defenders are leading the Bennie blue line this season by example. Jenna Timm and Emily Wendorf lead all CSB defenders with 17 total points. Wendorf has two goals and eight assists (20^th, MIAC) for 10 points (4^th, CSB) in her first season of collegiate hockey. Timm has seven assists in her junior season and 28 in her career. With teammate Corrine Brown, she is tied for 10^th all-time in career assists (Corrine Brown, Kari Dykhoff, 2000-04; Katie Ponsolle, 2001-05, 28 assists). She has 11 career goals.

Junior goaltenders Kate Moffat has a 4-7-2 record in 13 starts this season. In 787:41 on the ice, Moffat has a 2.74 goals against average and a .919 save percentage with 406 saves on the season. First-year Delaney Norman is 2-3-0 on the season and has a .897 save percentage with 139 saves. She has a 3.20 goals against average in 299:35 on the ice.

Macy Leads CSB Hockey 
Head coach Lindsay Macy  has started her second year as head coach at Saint Benedict. In her first year, Macy directed the Bennies to a program-best 11 conference wins and tied the program-mark for total wins with 14. CSB, who had a 14-12 overall and 11-9 record for third in the MIAC in 2022-23, directed the Bennies into the conference semifinals. Two players were named All-MIAC (Jenna Timm, Aurora Opsahl). At CSB she has a career record of 21-22-2 and 14-16-2 in the MIAC. 

2023-24 - Game Results (for game recap, click on game link below) 
Game 1  - No. 10 UW-Eau Claire 4 Saint Benedict 3 
Game 2 -  No 10 UW-Eau Claire 7 Saint Benedict 1
Game 3 - No. 1 UW-River Falls 5 Saint Benedict 0
Game 4 - Saint Benedict 5 Concordia 2
Game 5 - Saint Benedict 5 Concordia 4 (OT)
Game 6 - Saint Benedict 5 St. Scholastica 2
Game 7 - Saint Benedict 1 St. Scholastica 1 (CSS wins shootout, 1-0)
Game 8 - Saint Benedict 0 Bethel 0 (CSB wins shootout, 2-1)
Game 9 - Bethel 3 Saint Benedict 2 
Game 10 - Saint Benedict 8 Dubuque 0
Game 11 - Saint Benedict 6 Dubuque 0
Game 12 - Saint Benedict 4 Lake Forest 0
Game 13 - Saint Benedict 1 Lake Forest 0
Game 14 - No. 2 Gustavus 4 Saint Benedict 1
Game 15 - No. Gustavus 6 Saint Benedict 1
Game 16 - (RV) Hamline 3 Saint Benedict 1
Game 17 - (RV) Hamline 4 Saint Benedict 1
Game 18 - (RV) Augsburg 2 Saint Benedict 1
Game 19 - (RV) Augsburg 6 Saint Benedict 2