The St. Scholastica Saints (0-2-0) fell to the visiting Tommies from the University of St. Thomas (1-0-0) on Friday night at Mars Lakeview Arena in an inter-conference match-up between the MIAC's Tommies and the NCHA's Saints.

 

St. Scholastica broke onto the scoreboard first when A.J. Tucker netted his first goal of the season off a pass from Trevor Geiger (Salmon Arm, British Columbia/Salmon Arm (BCHL)) during a scuffle in front of the net with a little more than two minutes remaining in the opening period.

 

The lead was extended when Jordan Baird (Port McNeill, British Columbia/Victoria (BCHL)) picked up his second of the season, scoring off a Jameson Lundquist (Superior, Wis./Fairbanks (NAHL)) assist in the eighth minute of the second frame.

 

St. Thomas cut the margin to one only 55 seconds later, though, as Adam Davis of the Tommies slipped one past Saints netminder Zach Kleiman (Ottawa, Ontario/Quinnipiac Univ.) who was making his first start in a St. Scholastica sweater.

 

Davis played the spoiler again with a second goal in the period, a power play shot that tied the game at 2-2 as the clock ticked past the 18 minute mark.

 

St. Thomas picked up a pair of penalties, however, 36 seconds apart sandwiched around the 19 minute mark that gave the Saints a man advantage at the close of the frame and for the start of the third.

 

The Tommies held firm on the penalty-kill, and through the next 16 minutes both teams kept the other off the scoreboard as Kleiman and St. Thomas goalie Tyler Chestnut faced a combined 12 shots but stood on their heads while imitating brick walls.

 

At the 2:31 mark, Kleiman wasn't able to see through the screen set by a Tommie directly in front and St. Thomas' Todd Alexander scored what would be the eventual game winner with a shot from the left face-off circle that snuck inside the far post for his first goal of the season.

 

With one minute remaining, the Saints desperately pulled Kleiman, but it wasn't enough as a last second one-time pass up along the left boards was defeated by the buzzer as time ran out on St. Scholastica.

 

The Saints will try to rebound from Friday's loss as they welcome Saint Mary's University, who played at UW-Superior Friday evening, to Mars Lakeview on Saturday for a 7:05 p.m. game.