ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The College of Saint Benedict women's hockey team will return to Ritsche Arena this weekend looking to build on a strong start to the season when it hosts Dubuque for a pair of nonconference games.

The Bennies (6-2-3, 3-1-2 MIAC) open the two-game series Friday, Jan. 9, at 6 p.m., before closing the weekend Saturday, Jan. 10, at 3 p.m. Saturday's contest will also mark Senior Day, with Saint Benedict honoring Kaya Pelton-Byce (Madison, Wis.), Ellynor Haack (St. Paul, Minn.), Presley Kraemer (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Mia Lopez (Plymouth, Minn.), Jamie Bimberg (Chanhassen, Minn.) and Chloe Lewis (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) in a post-game ceremony.

Season Preview

Saint Benedict has won six of its first 11 games and currently sits tied for third place in the MIAC standings. The Bennies opened the new year with a pair of road games at UW-Superior, highlighted by a breakout performance from first-year center Helena Siska (Naperville, Ill.). On Jan. 3, Siska recorded her first collegiate hat trick in a 3-1 nonconference victory, becoming the first CSB first-year player in 10 years to notch a three-goal game. The performance marked the 26th hat trick in program history and the second this season for the Bennies, joining Presley Kraemer (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), who accomplished the feat Nov. 30. Junior goaltender Savannah Wuitschick (Fargo, N.D.) played a key role, stopping 19 of 20 shots to earn her first collegiate win with the Bennies.

The victory followed a tightly contested 2-2 overtime tie on Jan. 2 in Superior, Wis., in which Saint Benedict won a 2-0 shootout.

Prior to the Superior series, CSB battled Bethel in a pair of evenly matched conference games, both ending in 1-1 overtime ties. Saint Benedict earned the extra league point in the opener with a shootout win, while the Royals claimed the shootout in the second meeting. The series showcased the St. Ben's defensive strength and highlighted the play of first-year goaltender Lexi Badali (St. John, Ind.), who allowed just two goals over 130 minutes of action. Badali earned MIAC Player of the Week honors after setting a career high with 41 saves in the Dec. 5 opener at Ritsche Arena, the most saves by a CSB goalie since January 2024 and the second-highest single-game total by any MIAC netminder this season.

The defensive performances followed a nonconference sweep at Lake Forest in late November. Saint Benedict opened the series with a 3-2 win on Nov. 29 behind goals from Merrill Delich (Andover, Minn.), Jorja Jusczak (Moose Lake, Minn.) and Regan Flohrs (St. Paul, Minn.), with Flohrs scoring her first collegiate goal. The victory also marked the first career win for goaltender Sam Knutson (Chicago, Ill.). The following night, senior forward Presley Kraemer (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) delivered the program's offensive highlight of the season, recording her first career hat trick in a 6-1 victory and earning MIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Earlier this season, the Bennies split a conference series with St. Olaf and swept St. Scholastica in mid-November, a weekend highlighted by a four-point performance from senior Mia Lopez (Plymouth, Minn.) and two wins in net from Badali.  

By the Numbers - St. Ben's 

Under head coach Lindsay Macy, who recently became the program's all-time wins leader with 43 career victories, the Bennies are averaging 2.4 goals per game while allowing 2.2. Saint Benedict is outshooting opponents 29.0 to 25.3 per contest and has recorded six power-play goals along with two short-handed tallies. Siska (Naperville, Ill.) leads the team offensively with nine points on five goals and four assists, while sophomore Merrill Delich (Andover, Minn.) has eight points on three goals and five assists. In goal, Badali (St. John, Ind.) ranks sixth in the MIAC with a 1.55 goals-against average and has totaled 181 saves while averaging 25.86 stops per game.

Scouting Dubuque

Dubuque enters the weekend at 2-11-0 under first-year head coach Erin Connolly. The Spartans average 2.1 goals and 23.9 shots per game. Natalie Meeder leads Dubuque with 12 points on eight goals and 69 shots, while goaltender Emily Skranron has made 271 saves with a .869 save percentage.

Series Snapshot

Saint Benedict leads the all-time series 2-0 and is coming off a 6-0 victory in the most recent meeting on Dec. 9, 2023, as the Bennies look to continue their strong play at home this weekend.