INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The College of Saint Benedict hockey team (16–7–4), which made program history Saturday night by winning its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff Championship, received the program's first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament tonight (March 8).

Led by fourth-year head coach Lindsay Macy, the Bennies will travel to Amherst, Mass., to face No. 5 Amherst (19–2–6) in the opening round at 2 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday, March 14, at Orr Arena. The winner will advance to play the winner of the No. 2 Augsburg vs. Elmira matchup, also scheduled for March 14. The next round of the tournament will be held March 21, with the national championship semifinals set for March 27 and the title game on March 29. 

Saint Benedict, which will play Amherst for the first time, secured its spot in the national tournament with a 2–1 victory over No. 4 seed Gustavus Adolphus (15–11–2) in the MIAC championship game on Saturday, March 7, at Ritsche Arena in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Amherst won the NESCAC Playoff Championship with a 1-0 win over Colby College.

The 2025–26 season has been a historic one for the Bennies. In the MIAC semifinals, Saint Benedict earned its first conference playoff victory with a 4–2 win over No. 7 Hamline (second seeded) before defeating Gustavus Adolphus to claim the league title and automatic NCAA bid.

The Bennies also established a new program record with 16 wins this season, surpassing the previous mark of 14 victories set by the 1999–2000 and 2002–03 teams. Saint Benedict entered the MIAC tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing tied in the conference's regular-season standings with a 9–6–3 record and posting a 16–7–4 overall mark.

Following the championship victory, Saint Benedict was presented with the MIAC Playoff Championship trophy, the inaugural Jill Pohtilla Cup, and the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The full 2026 national tournament field was announced Sunday evening by the NCAA. CSB is one of three MIAC teams in the national tournament.