ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — First-year goaltender Lexi Badali (St. John, Ind.) headlined a historic season for the College of Saint Benedict hockey team by earning 2026 DIIIHockeyNews.com First Team West All-American honors, announced Tuesday (April 7).

The All-American recognition caps a standout debut season for Badali, who helped lead the Bennies to their first-ever national playoff appearance. She becomes the first Saint Benedict student-athlete to earn both All-American and DIII Hockey News All-Rookie Team honors in the same season, and was the lone MIAC player recognized on the All-Rookie Team. She was one of two MIAC players named to the First-Team All-West squad.

Badali sealed her All-American campaign with one of the top performances of her season, turning aside a career-high 43 shots in a 2–1 overtime loss to No. 3 Amherst in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Ice Hockey Championship on March 14. She made 11 saves in the first period, 14 in the second, 16 in the third and two more in overtime to keep the Bennies in control for much of the contest.

Her postseason play underscored her impact in goal. Across three playoff games, Badali allowed just five goals while making 113 saves. That stretch included 37 saves in a 4–2 win over No. 7 Hamline, 33 saves in a 2–1 MIAC Championship victory over Gustavus Adolphus and the 43-save effort against Amherst. She recorded three games with 40 or more saves this season and reached the 30-save mark in 11 contests.

Badali, an All-MIAC Honorable Mention selection and MIAC All-Playoff Team honoree, started 22 games and logged 1,329:21 in goal. She finished with a 1.76 goals-against average — fifth in the MIAC — and a .942 save percentage, which ranked second in the conference and 18th nationally in Division III. Her save percentage also set a new program record for a Bennies goaltender.

She allowed 39 goals on the season, including 12 on the power play, and totaled 631 saves — second in the MIAC — while averaging 28.68 saves per game, third in the league. Her 631 saves rank second in program history, trailing only Kristen Blumberg's 639 during the 1999–2000 season.