Notables
-CSS clinches NCHA Slaats Cup playoff berth
-CSS had seven power plays; CUW had two
-Freshman Battisti records third goal of the season
-Last two meetings against the Falcons had resulted in ties
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica women's hockey team had a strong, two-goal first period on Friday night that pushed them to a 3-1 victory over Concordia University Wisconsin, clinching a NCHA postseason spot.
The Action
The first period proved to be an important one for the Saints. Mac Johnson (Monticello, Minn./Monticello HS (St. Cloud State)) put the first point on the board with an unassisted goal after seven and a half minutes of play had gone by. To add to the Saints lead, Giorgia Battisti (Bolzano, Italy/Rice Memorial HS (Vermont)) netted her third goal of the season with help from Amanda Broman (Mankato, Minn./Mankato East HS). The rest of the first period saw one power play for each team, neither of which resulted in a goal, and ended with the Saints holding the 2-0 lead.
The game saw an action-less second period, aside from three power plays - two for CSS and one for CUW - but the score stayed the same for the entire 20 minutes of play. The third period began with a surge by the Falcons. After just 41 seconds, Veronika Metanova fired one over the shoulder of the St. Scholastica goaltender, making the score 2-1 with a lot of game left to play. Though the Saints out-shot the Falcons 15-7 in third period, Concordia kept the pressure on and managed a few good chances, keeping CSS on its toes.
With a minute left in the game, a holding penalty against the Falcons put the Saints on the power play. Concordia evened the numbers by pulling its goalie, which gave Denisa Lalikova (Puchov, Slovakia/Proctor Academy, N.H.) the perfect opportunity to score the final goal of the game - a empty netter power play goal, assisted by Kennedy Houge (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) and Paige Forsman (Cokato, Minn./Dassel-Cokato HS) - to give the game the final score of 3-1.
Goaltending
Freshman Lexi Thomeczek (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis AAA Blues)) was in goal for the Saints, and she saved 24 of the 25 shots she faced, improving her season record to 7-1. For the Falcons, Christina Pattengale saw 29 shots and saved 27 of them.
Up Next
The Saints are back on the ice tomorrow night in the second game of the two-game series against Concordia at the Mars Lakeview Arena. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. for Senior Night. Follow the action live on Saints Sports Net.
