ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict hockey team (9-4-1, 6-2-1 MIAC) suffered a 3-1 loss to Saint Mary's (10-5-0, 5-4-0 MIAC) on Friday, Jan. 24, at Ritsche Arena. Despite a strong performance from senior Aurora Opsahl, who scored her third goal of the season and had eight shots, the Bennies couldn't overcome the Cardinals.

With the loss, Saint Benedict drops to 9-4-1 overall and 6-2-1 in MIAC play, holding third place with 18 MIAC points. Saint Mary's, which is 10-5-0 overall, moves into fourth place with a record of 5-4-0 in conference games, earning 16 points. The Bennies and Cardinals wrap up their weekend series at 4 p.m., at Ritsche Arena.

The game started with Saint Mary's taking a 1-0 lead at 5:16 of the first period, courtesy of Sidney Polzin's first goal of the game. Polzin then added another - her ninth of the season - at 2:37 in the second period, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 advantage. The goal was assisted by Allie Urlaub and Sophia Paduano.

Saint Benedict responded just over a minute later, with Opsahl scoring at the 3:59 mark to cut the deficit to 2-1. Emma Rooks and Sami Boerboom assisted on the goal, marking Opsahl's 33rd career goal, moving her into sixth place all-time at CSB, and boosting her career points total to 66, ranking seventh in program history.

Saint Mary's sealed the win with an unassisted goal from Leah Parker at 5:34 in the second period, making it 3-1. Neither team scored in the final period.

CSB outshot Saint Mary's 28-26 and both teams were 0-for-3 on power plays. The Cardinals dominated in face-offs, winning 60% (33-of-55). In goal, senior Kate Moffat made 23 saves, including 13 in the second period, but her record fell to 6-4-1.