Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – The second-ranked St. Scholastica hockey team earned a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons on Saturday evening in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) match-up.

Forward #AJ Tucker# (Sr.-Fort Frances, Ont.) was credited with an unassisted goal that broke the 2-2 tie late in the game after a bounding puck skipped over the pads of River Falls goaltender Stephen Ritter. Despite a late surge by the Falcons, it would prove to be the game-winner.

Earlier in the contest, Tucker earned himself an assist on a #Joey Martini# (Sr.-Calgary, Alta.) goal which started the scoring just six minutes into the game. The Falcons came back with a goal of their own just 57 seconds later to make the score 1-1, which would hold until late in the second period when #Aaron Spotts# (Jr.-Spokane, Wash.) scored his sixth of the season with #Trevor Geiger# (Sr.-Salmon Arm, B.C.) receiving the assist.

Less than a minute after the Spotts goal, the Falcons were called for too many men on the ice, and it appeared the Saints would have a chance to pull ahead on the powerplay, but UWRF's leading scorer, Derek Hansberry, got a hold of the puck at the Saints blue-line and slipped it past CSS goaltender #Steve Bounds# (Sr.-Airdrie, Alta.) for the first short-handed goal that St. Scholastica has allowed all year.

Bounds played an outstanding game in net, stopping 29 of 31 shot, including 13 in the third periods to earn the victory for his team. On the other end, Ritter stopped 42 of 45 shots by the Saints before being pulled in favor of an extra skater for the closing moments of the game.

The victory marked the 60th of head coach Mark Wick's career, tying him for third-most all-time among Saints hockey coaches.

The Saints hit the road next weekend where they will face Lake Forest College on Friday night and St. Norbert College on Saturday night. The puck drops for the Saints and Foresters at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Both games cane be heard on ESPN Radio 560-WEBC.