ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict hockey team (10-8-3, 7-6-1 MIAC) dropped a 6-0 defeat to No. 4 Gustavus (17-4-0, 12-2-0 MIAC) on Saturday, February 8, at Ritsche Arena.

With the win, Gustavus maintained second place in the MIAC standings, improving to 12-2-0 in conference play and 17-4-0 overall. Meanwhile, CSB fell to 10-8-3 overall and 7-6-1 in MIAC competition, remaining in sixth place. St. Benedict sits one point behind St. Olaf (22-21) and will face No. 6 Augsburg in a home-and-home series on February 13-14.

Gustavus recorded two goals in each period, securing the victory. Emma Heyer put the Gusties on the board first with her first goal of the season at 8:30 for a 1-0 lead. At 15:01 of the first period, Lily Mortenson scored the first of her three goals on the night, assisted by Ellie Groebner, giving the Gusties a 2-0 advantage. Mortenson now has 17 goals this season.

In the second period, Gustavus capitalized on two power plays. At 11:00, Kylie Scott scored on an assist from Kylie Ligday and Brooke Power. The lead extended to 4-0 at 16:12 when Noelle Hemr scored her 10th goal of the season, assisted by Kaitlyn Holland and Mortenson.

In the third period, Mortenson added two more power play goals, at 4:04 and 16:13, to complete her hat trick. Holland assisted on both, recording her 13th and 14th assists of the season. Gustavus' final goal came from Mortenson's third, with Holland assisting once more, giving the Gusties a 6-0 lead.

Gustavus was effective on the power play, converting 5-of-9 opportunities, while CSB went 0-for-2. The Bennies were outshot 28-24, with Gustavus holding a 12-7 advantage in the second period. Despite the loss, CSB excelled in the face-off circle, winning 36 of 68 draws (52.9%). Senior Ava Stinnett won 12 of 19 faceoffs, and junior Mia Lopez won 8 of 12.