Notables
-Yellowjackets end their three game losing streak
-Three of the four UWS goals came in the first period
-CSS went 0-for-6 on power plays

DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica women's hockey team fell 4-1 in the first round of a two game Bridge Battle series against the University of Wisconsi -Superior on Friday night at the Mars Lakeview Arena.

Rough Start
The Yellowjackets got off to a strong start right off the bat when Mikayla Goodin found the goal after only 45 seconds of play, putting UWS up 1-0. The Saints had a power play opportunity not long after that, but it was successfully killed off by the 'jackets - a theme that would be upheld for the rest of the contest. At the 5:32 mark into the period, UWS put another goal on the board thanks to Emily Heid, making the score 2-0. Another power play was killed off by the Yellowjackets, then another goal snuck past the CSS goaltender, this one by Leah Elledge, for the third and final goal of the first period. 

Stronger Second
The second period proved to be a better one for the Saints, both offensively and defensively. They outshot the 'jackets 12-11 in the period, though they didn't manage to get any shots past the UWS goalie. The goal for UWS came on a power play after a major Saints boarding penalty put the Yellowjackets at a player advantage for a full five minutes, regardless of the scoring play near the three minute mark. Amanda Coey collected the power play goal for UWS, making the score 4-0. CSS successfully killed the rest of the major penalty, and the score would remain the same until the second intermission.

Not Enough
The third period saw the only goal by CSS, but the Yellowjackets would not allow more than that. The teams traded the puck back and forth a lot in the period, and only seven shots made it on goal between the two teams (three for the Saints, four for the Yellowjackets). The Saints goal came just past the halfway point of the period when Kennedy Houge (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray HS), assisted by Alexia Klaas (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS (Minnesota-Duluth)), fired one past the goalie. It was a nice momentum boost for the Saints, but it was not enough to get anything rolling. The Saints failed to capitalize on the sixth power play of the game, and the rest of the period passed without a change in the score, giving the Yellowjackets the 4-1 victory.

Notable Performances
Freshman goalie Lexi Thomeczek (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis AAA Blues)) made her third appearance of the season for the Saints and made 16 saves. Sierra Hanowski (Warroad, Minn./Warroad HS) had four shots on goal during the game, followed by Paige Forsman (Cokato, Minn./Dassel-Cokato HS) who collected three. Houge had the lone Saints goal on her only shot of the game. 

For the Yellowjackets, Kim Kobar made twenty saves between the pipes. UWS had four different players with goals during the game - Heid, Coey, Elledge, and Goodin. Saige Patrick managed three shots on goal.

Up Next
The Saints (5-5-1) will take on UWS (5-6-0) as visitors on Saturday afternoon for the second game of the Bridge Battle home-and-home series. The puck is set to drop at 2 p.m. in Superior.