ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The (RV) College of Saint Benedict hockey team carries both momentum and motivation into the final weekend of the regular season. At 12-7-4 overall and 7-6-3 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the Bennies have clinched a berth in the MIAC Playoffs for the first time since the 2022-23 season and sit in fourth place with 26 conference points.

Their final test of the regular season comes in a home-and-home series against Concordia College Moorhead (8-15-0, 5-11-0 MIAC) on Feb. 20-21. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m., Friday at the Moorhead (Minn.) Sports Center before the Bennies return to Ritsche Arena for a 5:30 p.m., showdown Saturday. Saint Benedict, which has received votes in D3 Hockey News for a fourth straight week, now turns its focus toward seeding — and possibly hosting a MIAC quarterfinal game next week.

Playoff Picture Still to Be Determined
The playoff picture remains fluid. Saint Benedict holds a five-point edge over Saint Olaf and Bethel, who are tied for fifth with 21 points and face each other this weekend. If the Bennies earn two points or if the Oles and Royals split, CSB secures at least the No. 4 seed and a home playoff game. A climb to third is still possible depending on the outcome of Gustavus Adolphus against nationally ranked Hamline.
 
Season Review
Recent weeks have tested the Bennies against the nation's best. They dropped a pair of tight contests to No. 2 Augsburg, falling 3-2 at Ritsche Arena behind two goals from Helena Siska (Naperville, Ill.), and 2-1 on the road, where Shae Stinnett (North Oaks, Minn.) scored. In Minneapolis, Stinnett's fourth goal of the season — and the 13th of her career — came at 19:51 of the opening period at Ed Saugestad Rink, assisted by Jorja Jusczak (Moose Lake, Minn.) and Merrill Delich (Andover, Minn.). First-year goaltender Lexi Badali (St. John, Ind.) was stellar with 40 saves as Augsburg outshot CSB, 42-19. The Bennies went 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Auggies were 1-for-5. Chloe Lewis (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) won 17 of 27 faceoffs, helping CSB to a 28-of-69 performance in the circle. 

Earlier in February, Saint Benedict split with (RV) Gustavus, earning a breakthrough 3-0 home win before falling 2-0 on the road. The shutout snapped a 17-game winless streak against the Gusties. Badali (St. John) recorded the first shutout of her career, finishing the weekend with 67 saves and just one goal allowed to earn her second MIAC Defensive Player of the Week honor. Siska scored twice in the victory.

The Bennies also battled No. 5 Hamline, skating to a 2-2 overtime tie on Jan. 30 before Hamline claimed a 1-0 shootout edge, and then falling 5-1 in St. Paul the next night.

Their January surge defined the season. In a 5-4 win over Saint Mary's on Jan. 23, Siska scored twice and added an assist, while Emily Wendorf (Minnetrista, Minn.) dished out a career-high four assists. The victory extended CSB's winning streak to six games before a 1-0 overtime loss halted the run.

That stretch included a sweep of St. Catherine (4-1, 2-1), during which the Bennies outscored opponents 26-3 over five games. On Jan. 17, Camryn Hargreaves (Minnetrista, Minn.) scored, and Stinnett netted the game-winner with 1:46 remaining. Badali stopped 40 shots in the series, allowing just two goals.

Before that came a dominant home-and-home sweep of Dubuque, where Saint Benedict outscored the Spartans 17-0 in consecutive shutouts. Presley Kraemer (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) recorded her second career hat trick in a 10-0 opener — the program's highest-scoring game since 2005 and its 13th double-digit performance all-time. Hargreaves added two goals, Lexi Hueller (Maple Grove, Minn.) scored her first collegiate goal, and Savannah Wuitschick (Fargo, N.D.) earned her first career shutout.

On Senior Day, the Bennies completed the sweep with a 7-0 victory as seven different players scored. Ellynor Haack (St. Paul, Minn.) made 10 saves for her second career shutout, Tana Carlson (Anchorage, Alaska) scored her first collegiate goal, and Kraemer added her fourth goal of the weekend.

Saint Benedict opened January against UW-Superior with Siska recording her first collegiate hat trick in a 3-1 nonconference win on Jan. 3, becoming the first CSB first-year in a decade to score three goals in a game. Wuitschick made 19 saves for her first collegiate victory after the teams had skated to a 2-2 overtime tie the night before, with the Bennies winning the shootout.

The Bennies closed 2024 with two 1-1 overtime ties against Bethel, splitting shootouts. Badali allowed just two goals over 130 minutes, including a career-high 41 saves on Dec. 5, earning MIAC Player of the Week honors.

By The Numbers – Saint Benedict
Defensive consistency has defined the campaign under head coach Lindsay Macy, the program's all-time wins leader with 49 career victories. Saint Benedict averages 2.74 goals per game — fourth in the MIAC and 24th nationally — while allowing 1.96, fifth in the conference and 30th in Division III. The Bennies hold a 27.7–26.6 shots-per-game edge, have nine power-play goals (sixth in the MIAC), and lead the conference — ranking sixth nationally — with four short-handed goals by four different players. Their four shutouts rank fourth in the MIAC and 21st nationally. CSB's 63 goals are fourth in the MIAC and 25th in Division III, while 90 assists rank third in the league and 25th nationally.

Individually, Siska leads the team with 12 goals — fourth in the MIAC — and ranks 11th in the conference with 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists). Kraemer follows with 10 goals and owns 22 career goals and 40 career points. Kraemer will play in her 99th and 100th career games this week as she becomes the third CSB player in school history to reach 100 career games, joining Elizabeth Hancock, 103, 1998-2002 and Kate Rollwagen, 103, 1998-2002. On Friday, Kraemer joining Kelly Wegwerth as the fourth player to play in 99 games. JUnior Ella Tuccitto (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) has 11 points, including seven goals, while Hargreaves also has 11 points.

Badali (St. John) ranks sixth in the MIAC and 35th nationally with a 1.81 goals-against average and holds a .938 save percentage — fourth in the conference and 26th in Division III. She is third in the MIAC with 27.53 saves per game and has made 468 saves this season.

Scouting Concordia
Concordia, directed by third-year head coach Jason Gregorie, enters the weekend 8-15-0 overall and 5-11-0 in MIAC play, tied for seventh with 18 points. The Cobbers have dropped four straight, most recently falling to Bethel 2-1 in overtime and 4-0. Their last win was a 4-2 decision over St. Catherine on Jan. 31. Concordia averages 2.30 goals per game — sixth in the MIAC — and allows 3.52 (10th). Taylyn Cope ranks ninth in the conference with 11 goals, and Addie Moos sits 11th with 10 goals.

Series Snapshot
Historically, Concordia leads the all-time series 31-14-8. The Bennies, however, have won six of the last matchups, including a 5-2 victory on Feb. 22, 2025, at Ritsche Arena. CSB is 8-16-4 in Moorhead and 5-12-4 at home in the series. The first meeting between the programs came Jan. 14, 2000, when CSB dropped a 6-5 decision despite two goals and an assist from Paula Vogt.