Notables
-Saints unbeaten for five in a row
-Klaas's third straight game with at least one goal
-Marian went 0-for-6 on power plays
-Thomeczek is 6-0-0 on the year between the pipes for CSS
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica women's hockey team came up big with a two-game sweep over Marian University (Wis.) on Saturday afternoon, after a goal in the second and third period gave them the 2-1 victory over the Sabres.
Slow Start
The two teams were neck-and-neck over the course of the first period, each with eight shots on goal. The Saints fell behind when Sarah Bier snuck a shot by the goaltender to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead in the last four minutes of the period. St. Scholastica was unable to use two power play opportunities over the course of the 20 minutes, and the CSS penalty kill successfully thwarted the Sabres' efforts to take advantage of one of their own.
Successful Second and Third
The Saints made their move in the second period after a hooking penalty put one of the Sabres skaters in the box. Denisa Lalikova (Puchov, Slovakia/Proctor Academy, N.H.) found the net on the power play, assisted by Greta Nundahl (New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS) and Emily Stegora (Red Wing, Minn./Red Wing HS (Minnesota State-Mankato)) to tie the score at 1-1 with four minutes left in the second period. The Saints killed a penalty to end the second period, and to begin the third.
The first seven minutes of the third were almost all played with CSS disadvantaged by one skater, but the Sabres would not manage a goal. The third and final goal of the game came from the Saints' Alexia Klaas (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS (Minnesota-Duluth)) - her fifth goal in the last three games - to give the Saints the 2-1 lead halfway through the third period. Hailee Johnson (Red Wing, Minn./Red Wing HS) was credited on the assist, her first point of the season. With 53 seconds left in the game an interference penalty was called on the Saints, putting the Sabres up by two players when they pulled the goalie to add to the player advantage, but the Saints defense killed off the last minute of the game without allowing a goal, earning CSS its fourth straight win.
Goaltending
Freshman goalie Lexi Thomeczek (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis AAA Blues)) saved 26 of the 27 shots she faced for the Saints, improving her personal record to 6-0-0. Lindsey Strainis took the loss for the Sabres, ending the day with 25 saves.
Up Next
The Saints are in action again next weekend when they take on Adrian College in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) matchup. They face off on Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively at the Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth. Follow the action live on Saints Sports Net.
