ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict hockey team (10-8-3, 7-6-1 MIAC) will face No. 4 Augsburg (18-2-1, 13-1-0 MIAC) in a home-and-home series on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 13-14. The Bennies host the Auggies at 6 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 14 at Ritsche Arena after playing in Minneapolis., on Thursday, at 7 p.m. 

CSB, directed by third year head coach Lindsay Macy, owns a 10-8-3 overall record with a 7-6-1 mark in the MIAC for sixth in the league with 21 points. The Bennies are battling for one of the five postseason spots in the MIAC playoffs. Currently, CSB is one MIAC point back of St. Olaf (22 points – 10-10-1, 7-6-1 MIAC).

In back-to-back home-and-home series, the Bennies face No. 3 Gustavus (4-1, 6-0 losses) and now meet No. 4 Augsburg which is 18-2-1 overall and lead the MIAC with a 13-1-0 record and 38 MIAC points.

Quick Review
St. Benedict opened the season with a loss to then No. 1 and defending national DIII champion UW-River Falls (15-2-2), 8-2 in River Falls, Wis. Then CSB took a 5-4 road loss to UW-Superior on Nov. 5 as first-year Camryn Hargreaves had two goals. On Nov. 12, the Bennies and UW-Superior played to a 2-2 tie (Yellowjackets had a 2-0 advantage in the shootout for the point). On Nov. 15-16, the Bennies rebounded by winning a 2-1 overtime decision at St. Scholastica and then recorded a 5-0 win against the Saints a night later. St. Ben's defeated St. Olaf, 2-1 in overtime on the road on Nov. 22 and had a 2-2 draw with the Oles at home on Nov. 23 in which CSB earned the two conference points with a 1-0 verdict in the overtime shootout (Ella Tuccitto goal).

Prior to Thanksgiving (Nov. 26-27) the Bennies dominated a two-game home nonconference series with Northland by recording wins of 5-0 and 7-0. In the victories, goalies Delaney Norman and Ellynor Haack recorded shutouts. Hargreaves had three goals and Skylar Salscheider had four assists to lead the way in the two wins. CSB recorded a season-high seven goals in the second win against Northland in which Salscheider had three assists and Hargreaves scored two goals. Since Jan. 11, the Bennies have a 4-5-0 record. Among the victories is a 3-2 home win over (RV) Hamline as Jenna Timm scored the game winning goal.

By the Numbers
Through 21 games, St. Benedict has totaled 65 goals (3.1) and allowed 54 (2.6). The Bennies have outshot their opponents, 704-to-541. In goal, CSB has 485 saves, with opponents at 633. In power plays, CSB has a 28.6% (12-of-42) power play rate while their opponents sit at 23.0% (17-of-74). CSB has won 661 face-offs and lost 600 for a 52.4 %-win rate.

About Augsburg
Nationally ranked throughout the year, Augsburg moved up to No. 4 in the USCHO National Poll this week. In her first season as head coach, Elizabeth Bauer, who played at UW-Eau Claire, leading that team to three national berths, has directed the Auggies to the top of the MIAC with a 13-1 record and 38 MAIC points while sitting 18-2-1 overall. Augsburg has won 11 straight games since a 4-2 setback to #11 UW-Eau Claire.  Through 21 games, the Auggies own an 82-to-26 (3.9-to-1.2 avg.) scoring age with an average of 33.3 shots per game. They have recorded 433 saves while allowing 617. In power plays, they have converted 22-of-80 for 27.5 percent with opponents 7-of-69 for 10.1 percent. Augsburg is led in scoring by Nora Stepan with 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points while Emma Abrahamson had 10 goals, and seven assists and Emily Cronkhite has six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.

Series Notes
CSB trails in the all-time series, 9-37-11, including eight straight losses. In the most recent matchup on Jan. 27, 2024, the Auggies recorded a 6-2 win, scoring three goals in the final period to break open a close contest. At home, CSB is 3-19-4 against Augsburg, which has a 6-17-7 record against the Bennies when they host. In conference play, CSB is 9-32-11 overall. CSB tied Augsburg, 1-1, on Feb. 2, 2019. Thirteen times, the teams have played in overtime games. In the first-ever matchup, the Auggies recorded a 4-1 win on Nov. 22, 1998.

Player Notes
Sophomore Shae Stinnett leads CSB in points with 14 points, including seven goals and seven assists.
Senior Aurora Opsahl is second on CSB with 13 points with six goals and seven assists. After scoring goals in back-to-back games with Hamline and also adding a tally against No. 3 Gustavus, Opsahl has 36 career goals which is sixth all-time at CSB.  She has totaled 69 (36G, 33A) points, which also places her seventh all-time at CSB. Opsahl is coming off seasons of 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in 2022-23 and 13 goals and seven assists in 2023-24. She has eight game-winning goals, which places her tied with Susan Engel (2001-05) for the career lead at CSB. Opsahl has 304 shots (3^rd all-time at CSB) in 86 games with 36 starts.


First-year Camryn Hargreaves has netted seven goals and five assists for 12 points.  Sophomore defender Emily Wendorf is tied with Hargreaves for third on CSB with 12 points, which includes two goals and a team-leading 10 assists (T-10, MIAC). Junior center Mia Lopez is tied with three others with 10 points. She has five goals and five assists along with a game-winning goal. Senior Jenna Timm has 10 points with five goals and five assists and two game-winning goals. Also at 10 points is Ella Tuccitto (four goals, six assists) and first-year Skylar Salscheider (one goal, nine assists). Earlier this year, Wendorf earned the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week with two goals and two assists in a sweep of St. Catherine. In total 19 players have scored a goal with 15 tallying two or more goals.

Senior goaltender, Kate Moffat, who was the MIAC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 18, has an .899 saves percentage (10th, MIAC) with 41 goals allowed and 366 saves in 16 games. Her goal against average of 2.77 is 10th in the MIAC. With five career shutouts Moffat ranks fourth all-time. Moffat, who is now 7-7-1 on the season, has 19 career wins, placing her second all-time at CSB.

Senior forward Ava Stinnett, who has four goals this season, played in 853 career games, scoring 29 goals, and recording 26 assists, with 252 shots on goal. She ranks 10th all-time at CSB in goals (10th, Mollie Wise, 29, 2016-20). With six game-winning goals, she is tied for fifth in program history.

Timm has totaled 17 career goals with 34 career assists, a mark which is sixth all-time at CSB. She has tallied 51 points and made 215 shots. In her career she has totaled six game-winning goals, which is ninth all-time at CSB.