Notables
-The game saw seven penalties in the first period alone
-Shots on goal: CSS - 22, UWRF - 26
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica men's hockey team was defeated in its home opener on Tuesday night by University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a final score of 3-2 at Mars Lakeview Arena.
The Action
The Falcons took an early lead in the game on a Kyle Gattelaro goal after six minutes of the game had progressed - a lead they would not give up for the entire game despite the Saints' best efforts. The first period saw seven power play opportunities between the two teams, only one of which was used when the Falcons' Blake Anderson got one past the Saints' goalie for the second goal of the game, putting UWRF up 2-0 with just under three minutes left in the first period.
At the start of the second period, the Saints came out pushing hard with a one-man advantage after a tripping penalty on the Falcons carried over into the second period for just under a minute. The Saints didn't score, but there was a definite change in intensity in favor of the CSS. Halfway through the period, Kristofer McKinzie (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Marshall School (Minnesota Magicians-NAHL)) got a stick on the puck in front of the goal to put the Saints on the board, with assists going to Brandon Parrone (Peoria, Ariz./Brophy College Prep (Melfort-SJHL) ) and Josh Hansen (Chilliwack, British Columbia/Unity Christian School (Chilliwack-BCHL) ). River Falls answered, however, with three minutes left in the second period, on a Danny Hamburg goal. This put the score at 3-1 in favor of the Falcons going into the second intermission.
The third period of play saw two penalties on the Falcons to start off the period. The first one was killed off by UWRF, but the Saints used the second one to their advantage. Steven Phee (Balzac, Alberta/George McDougall HS (Canmore-AJHL) ), assisted by Brandon Millin (Port Moody, British Columbia/Heritage Woods HS (Notre Dame Hounds-SJHL) ), battled the defense in front of the net before putting it past the goalie to bring the score to 3-2. The fans were roaring and the game took another step up in intensity, especially after the Saints managed to kill off a five minute boarding penalty, but it would not be enough for CSS to tie the game and the game ended with a score of 3-2 in favor of River Falls.
Notable Performances
Phee led things for the offense, with a goal and three shots on goal. McKinzie was behind him with a goal of his own and a shot on goal. Goaltender Peter Megariotis (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Canyon HS (Adrian)) had 23 saves on the night. For the Falcons, Hamburg, Anderson, and Gattelaro all had goals. Zach Quinn was in the net for UWRF and collected 20 saves.
Up Next
The Saints are back in action this weekend at Mars Lakeview Arena against Lake Forest College (Ill.) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. Follow the action live at Saints Sports Net.
