Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – The sixth-ranked St. Scholastica hockey team fell at the hands of the red-hot No. 15 Wis.-River Falls Falcons on Saturday night by a final score of 6-3 at Mars Lakeview Arena. 

The Falcons came out on fire in the first period, peppering CSS goalkeeper #Zach Kleiman# (Sr.-Ottawa, Ont.) with 18 shots, but the Saints senior netminder held tough, allowing just one goal in the first by Ben Beaudoin, with assists from Tyler Czuba and Josh Calleja. 

The Saints were able to calm the storm in the second, taking the lead about halfway through the period courtesy of two short-handed goals. #Jordan Chong# (Sr.-North Vancouver, B.C.) picked off a pass at center ice and skated it in for an unassisted tally just nine seconds into the Falcons powerplay. 

Just over a minute later, Chong again picked off a pass, this time setting up fellow senior #Aaron Spotts# (Sr.-Spokane, Wash.) for the short-handed goal, but with the final second about to tick off the penalty, the Falcons' Brady Horn netted a powerplay tally to tie the score. Calleja and Czuba again had the assists. 

The Falcons added another goal before the end of the period, Beaudoin's second of the night with an assist by Tad Norris. River Falls again outshot St. Scholastica in the second, but this time just 13 to nine. 

The 3-2 score held through the end of the second period, but the Falcons pulled further ahead with a goal by Czuba, with assists by Calef Wolfgram and the pesky Calleja for the third time on the night. 

Down 4-2, the Saints caught fire in the middle of the period as Chong scored his second of the night to bring the Saints back within one. #Jeremy Dawes# (So.-Winnipeg, Man.) and #Colin Trachsel# (Fr.-St. Louis, Mo.) had the assists. 

The 4-3 score was as close as the Saints could come as the Falcons pulled away with two more goals in the third, including an empty-netter with just over one minute remaining. CSS finished with 32 shots on net, with River Falls goalkeeper Bo Storozuk holding strong with 29 saves. Kleiman took the loss for CSS while stopping 33 of 38 shots by the Falcons. 

With the victory, Wis.-River Falls, now 18-8-2 on the season, advances to the finals of the NCHA Peters Cup tournament against top-seeded St. Norbert College. The Green Knights defeated Wis.-Stevens Point in their semifinal by a final score of 7-1 earlier on the night. 

The Saints, now 17-5-6 on the season, still hold an outside shot at an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament if the selection committee chooses four teams from the West region, but they will need favorites to win conference tournaments in both the East and West. The selections will be announced next Sunday, Mar. 7.