ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Mia Lopez wasn't recruited to play hockey at the College of Saint Benedict.
 
But the Orono High School graduate enrolled at the school, anyway, betting her talent would be enough to earn a spot on the team.
 

"That was a huge step for me to go out on a limb like that," said the now-senior forward, who had been recruited to play hockey at McKendree (Illinois) University, but chose instead to enroll at CSB – the school from which her mother Molly graduated. "I truly believe it was fate and faith that got me here."
 
"It was intimidating at first, but I went into it without any expectations. I figured if I made the team, which would be amazing, and if I didn't, it wasn't meant to be," said Lopez. "But this was the school I wanted to be at. So, I took a chance, and it worked out."
  
That it did. Not only did Lopez make the Bennies' roster that first season, but she also earned a spot on the third line. And she has been a mainstay on the ice ever since.
 
That includes this season when Lopez, now a team captain, has already recorded two goals and five assists for a team that is currently 6-2-2 in MIAC play and 11-3-3 overall – the best start in program history.
 
"Our team chemistry this year has been like no other season since I've been here," said Lopez, who has seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points in her career. "We added a lot of first-year players who brought great energy with them, and it has renewed the whole team. I also think, coming off (an 11-12-2 finish) last season, we as seniors really wanted to make sure, we left a positive imprint this year."
 
"Everyone has been working hard. We've all bought into the system and we're all working toward a common goal. It is such an amazing group to be part of," added Lopez.  
It is a group Lopez wasn't a sure bet to be included in when she first arrived on campus.
 
CSB head coach Lindsay Macy said the fact she has since become such a pivotal member of the team is a testament to both her skills and perseverance.
 
"She never gives up and that's one of the most impressive things about her," said Macy, whose first season on the job (2022-23) was Lopez's first year as well.
 
"After the first day of tryouts her first season, she was looking like one of the players we were going to cut. But the second day, she started to show me something. By the third day, she improved a lot more. And she kept getting better," said Macy. "She earned a spot on the team, and her first season, she was in and out of the lineup. She gradually earned more playing time, and she was always asking what she could do to get better."
 
"Now she's in a key role for us all over the ice in big moments and her hockey IQ is super high," Macy continued. "I think she has one of the best hockey IQs in the entire conference."
 
Lopez comes from a hockey family. Her older brother A.J. played in high school and went on to play on the club lacrosse team at MSU-Mankato. Younger sister Zoe is a freshman forward on the MSU-Mankato women's hockey team. Meanwhile, youngest sister Gabi is a standout sophomore at Orono.
 
All four first started playing hockey on the pond in the family's backyard in Plymouth.
 
"That's where it all started," she said with a laugh. "My siblings and I are super-competitive with one another, and I think that is what has pushed and shaped me into the person I am today." 
 
Lopez remains driven to this day – on and off the ice. She is a double major in business and psychology who maintains a 3.77 GPA and has earned Academic All-MIAC honors the past two seasons. She also works as a manager at the front desk in Mary Commons.
 
"Time management is a really big thing for me since hockey is such a big-time commitment," she said. "I'm a pretty organized person and I like to set up a schedule at the start of each week. I break it down by day and make sure I have time to get everything I need to do. Our practice and workout schedule are pretty consistent. From there I find the open slots I need to dedicate to schoolwork and make sure I keep those free.
 
"It helps a lot when you know exactly when you're going to do things each day."
 
Lopez is still weighing her options but hopes to find a job in the business field after she graduates this May.
 
Before that, though, she is looking to help lead the Bennies to a spot in the MIAC playoffs – something the team hasn't achieved since her first season in 2022-23. CSB's 1-0 overtime loss at St. Mary's Saturday (Jan. 24) was the Bennies' first since Nov. 22. The team had gone 8-0-3 over that stretch, including winning six straight.
 
With eight games still remaining, Lopez and company sit in second place in the conference standings. The top five teams at the end of the regular season make the MIAC postseason field.
 
"The goal is definitely to make the playoffs, then to see how far we can get from there," she said. "That's the team goal. For me individually, I'm trying to make the most of the time I have left with my teammates. Our coach always tells us we need to be where our feet are. As a senior, that hits home even more. You don't realize how little time you have left until you get down to it and the clock is ticking. So, I want to make sure I'm present and enjoying everything I still have left."