ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Growing up as the youngest of five siblings, Presley Kraemer learned early on how to roll with the punches and keep focused on the task at hand.
 
"I come from a big family and everything was kind of chaotic with all of us running back and forth between rinks and soccer fields," she said. "Everyone was always coming and going and you learned how to work through it all and get everything you needed to done."

 

That's exactly what the now-senior has done over the course of her four seasons of college hockey at the College of Saint Benedict. The Osseo High School graduate arrived on campus as a forward and saw playing time there as a first-year and sophomore.
 
But when she was asked to switch to defender as a junior, she didn't bat an eye.
 
"I played as a defender on my U15 team, then I went back to playing forward in high school," she said. "I didn't play defender on varsity, but I did play a mix of defender and forward during summer league. So I've always gone back and forth."
 
"When they asked me to switch here, I was pretty open to it because it gave me a chance to get on the ice even more," said Kraemer. "I was a little nervous at the start, and the first few practices were kind of rough. But I got the hang of it and I enjoy it a lot now. One of the things I pride myself on is my versatility," she continued. "I can go wherever the team needs me most."
 
This year, that's been primarily at defender, but she's also seen action at forward on the power play. The result has been a career-best 10 goals (including two hat tricks) and six assists, ranking her second in scoring on a team that finished the regular season 14-7-4, matching a program record for victories achieved only two other times – in 1999-2000 and during Kraemer's first season in 2022-23. 
 
With a sweep of Concordia last weekend, the Bennies clinched the No. 3 seed in the MIAC playoffs, avoiding having to play in Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup and setting up a clash with No. 2 seed Hamline (14-3-1) in the semifinals at 3 p.m., Saturday at TRIA Rink in St. Paul.
 
"She just goes and goes," CSB head coach Lindsay Macy said of Kraemer. "She's one of those players who doesn't have an off switch. She's always giving 100 percent.
 
"She's part of a group of seniors who have played a huge role in our success. That's one of the reasons I put a lot of pressure on this team to get that No. 3 seed. I wanted it for players like (Kraemer ) who have hung in there the past four years and helped build the winning culture we've been able to establish. She's been a huge piece of getting that done, and it's been fun to see the way her scoring has picked up this season," Macy continued. "She's finally starting to get some of the recognition she's earned and deserves."
 
Kraemer's first season at CSB was also Macy's first at the helm. She had five goals and four assists as the Bennies finished 14-12-0 and earned the No. 3 seed in the conference playoffs before falling 5-2 to No. 2 seed Augsburg in the semifinals.
 
She added four goals and two assists as a sophomore and three goals and six assists as a junior last season. But CSB missed the postseason each of those years. She now has 22 goals, 18 assists and 40 points in her career. In addition, Kraemer will play in her 102nd career game - third most in CSB history - when the Bennies face the Pipers in the playoffs.
 
"That was frustrating, but we knew we were building something," she said. "That's what's made this season so enjoyable. Things have come full circle and we're finally starting to see our hard work pay off. The bond we have as a team is really amazing. Everyone is super close. No one has any issues with each other. We're all trying to help everyone else be successful," said Kraemer, who is part of a senior class with the most wins (51) in a four-year span in school history.
 
Kraemer's own work ethic extends to the classroom where she is a physics major on a pre-engineering track with a minor in math. Her goal is to one day be a civil engineer.
 
"My sister (Kelsey) is a mechanical engineer, and I've seen how much she enjoys her work," Kraemer said. "That kind of drew me to the engineering side of things. I've always liked having a chance to be hands-on and work with the design aspect side of things. But I had an internship with MnDOT (Minnesota Department of Transportation) last summer working at a bridge construction site and shadowing other civil engineers. That really helped me decide this was the direction I wanted to go in."
 
Before that happens, though, there is still a final hockey season to complete. Hamline was ranked No. 7 in the nation in the most recent USCHO Division III poll, but the Bennies handed the Pipers their lone tie when the two teams played to a 2-2 deadlock on Jan. 31 at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud.
 
Hamline rallied to win 5-1 the following afternoon in St. Paul. But Kraemer said her team enters play Saturday knowing it has a chance to pull of what would be the first postseason victory in program history if it plays the way it's capable of.
 
"We know how difficult a challenge it's going to be, especially playing at their rink," she said. "But we also know we can play with them. I think we have the ability to come out and surprise some people if we play well."