ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - Opening its 2026-27 season at home, the College of Saint Benedict hockey team will host No. 14 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Friday-Saturday, Oct. 30-31. Friday's season debut will begin at 7 p.m., while Saturday's Halloween special is set for a 2 p.m. puck drop, with both games occurring at Ritsche Arena. 

 

A double feature will occur during Friday's game for Pack the MAC night, as the Saint John's University hockey team will take on Marian University at 7:30 p.m. with both games taking place next to each other at Municipal Athletic Complex. One ticket will get fans into both the CSB and SJU hockey game. If you purchase your ticket for CSB, please enter through the first rink to have your ticket scanned for the CSB game. If you purchase your ticket for SJU, please enter through the second rink to have your ticket scanned for the SJU game.

 

The 2026-27 campaign will be the fifth under the direction of head coach Lindsay Macy. Over the last four years, Macy has compiled a 53-49-9 overall record. Her staff is completed by assistant coaches Dale Sager, Ben Monsivais, Bre Hess and Rachel Weiland. Saint Ben's will have four captains this season, as seniors Shae Stinnett (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View), Emily Wendorf (Minnetrista, Minn./Moun Westonka) and Ella Tuccitto (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley), along with junior Jorja Jusczak (Moose Lake, Minn./Moose Lake) will lead the Bennies.  

 

The Bennies return to action following a record-breaking 2025-26 season. Saint Benedict finished with a record of 16-8-4, recording the most wins in a season all-time. CSB, which posted a 9-6-3 mark in MIAC play, won the MIAC Playoff Championship for the first time in program history. The Bennies finished No. 15 in the DIIIHockeyNews.com rankings, the first national ranking in school history, and made the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Then-first-year Lexi Badali (St. John's, Ind./Lake Central) became the team's first-ever All-American in the program's 38-year existence, as she was named a DIIIHockeyNews.com First Team All-American. Badali also became the first Bennie to earn DIIIHockeyNews.com national All-Rookie team honors. CSB ended the 2025-26 season in the top 25 in eight statistical categories: ninth in short-handed goals (4); 21st in goals (76) and scoring offense (2.71 gpg); 22nd in winning percentage (0.643); 23rd in assists (104) and team points (180); and 24th in scoring margin (+0.82) and team shutouts (4). 

 

Saint Benedict returns its two top offensive threats in sophomore Helena Siska (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) and Stinnett. Siska led the team with 12 goals and 22 points in her rookie campaign, while Stinnett sat tied for second with 10 goals and second in points with 18. Siska and junior Merrill Delich (Andover, Minn./Andover) topped the team with 10 assists apiece. Stinnett and junior Camryn Hargreaves (Minnetrista, Minn./Mound Westonka) tied for third with eight helpers apiece. Siska, Delich and Stinnett also finished as the top-three in plus/minus.  

 

Siska led the team with a +16, followed by Delich (+14) and Stinnett (+22). On the defensive end, junior Skylar Salscheider (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Gentry Academy) looks to add onto her strong sophomore season in which she led CSB with 35 blocked shots. Wendorf was third on the team with 21 blocks, as both finished on the positive end of the plus/minus sheet.  

 

In goal, Badali returns after a stellar rookie campaign. She led the team with 631 saves spanning 1329:21 minutes in goal en route to a 12-7-3 record. Badali posted a 1.76 goals allowed average after giving up 39 throughout the season, and finished with a .942 save percentage. Senior Savannah Wuitschick (Fargo, N.D./South) added 34 saves across 128:16 minutes between the pipe, posting a .47 goals allowed average after only giving up one. She finished with a .971 save percentage in her junior season. 

 

The CSB squad will feature nine new faces this season. First-years Evangeline Mount (San Ramon, Calif./Del Mar), Mariah Hooten (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area), Frankie Pipitone (Wheaton, Ill./Apex Virtual), Taylor Krohn (Fairbault, Minn./Northfield), Carlie Griffin (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake Area), Pyper Andrews (Andover, Minn./Andover), Cambriia Thomas (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown), Julia Ostapeic (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) and Claire Hills (Orono, Minn./Andover) will make their collegiate debuts Friday night. 

 

The Bennies will battle the Blugolds for the 13th time dating back to 1998. UW-Eau Claire owns an 11-1 advantage in the series all-time and took the most recent meeting, 7-1, Oct. 28, 2023. Corrine Brown scored the lone goal for CSB in the game, while Ava Stinnett, the older sister of Shae Stinnett, added an assist. Ava Stinnett also led Saint Benedict with 12 faceoff wins, going 12-for-28. Jenna Timm tallied a team-high six blocked shots. Delaney Norman notched 43 saves in all 60 minutes in goal for Saint Ben's.  

 

The game will be live streamed, featuring CSB junior Peyton LeMiur on the air, can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.