Notables
-First mini-game in program history
-Thomeczek stopped the first 53 shots she faced on the night
-The game two victory was CSS' first NCHA semifinal win in program history
-Hanowski finishes career with 52 career assists (third all-time in program history)

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. (csssaints.com) --- The St. Scholastica women's hockey team blanked No. 7 Lake Forest College (Ill.) 2-0 to take game two of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Slaats Cup semifinal series on Saturday night to force a winner-take-all mini-game. The mini-game would go scoreless and so would the first sudden death overtime. Unfortunately, the Foresters scored their first goal of the night seven minutes into the second sudden death OT to end the Saints' season 1-0.

Game 2
In the first period of the second game of the series, the Saints and the Foresters both fought hard to score a goal, but were unable. The Foresters had out-shot the Saints 9-5.

With seven minutes left in the period, a minor penalty was called on St. Scholastica for tripping, giving LFC a power play. The Saints, however, were able to successfully fend off the Foresters during this power play. Both teams would continue to try to score with intense game play before time ran out on the clock, ending the period with a score of 0-0.

Eight minutes into the second period, a minor penalty was called on St. Scholastica for too many players on the ice, resulting in a power play for LFC. The Saints were able to successfully kill off the penalty, allowing only a few shots.

With four minutes left to go in the period, a minor penalty was called on LFC for hooking. With seven seconds left in the power-play, Mac Johnson (Monticello, Minn./Monticello HS (St. Cloud State)), with the assist from Emily Stegora (Red Wing, Minn./Red Wing HS (Minnesota State-Mankato)) and Sierra Hanowski (Warroad, Minn./Warroad HS), scored and took the lead 1-0. The period would end and the Saints would still be in the lead 1-0.

To start the third period, a minor penalty was called on Lake Forest for tripping, giving the Saints a power play. Nothing would result of this extra player advantage, but a minute later St. Scholastica's Denisa Lalikova (Puchov, Slovakia/Proctor Academy, N.H.), with help from Hanowski, would score. This early third period goal put the Saints up 2-0, widening the team's lead.

Two more penalties would be called on St. Scholastica, giving the Foresters two power play opportunities, but nothing would come of these plays. Time would run out, and the Saints would skate away with the win forcing a winner-take-all mini-game.

Mini-Game
After a short break, the teams returned to the ice to play a full 20-minute mini-game to determine a series winner. The regulation portion of the mini-game went scoreless with shots being slightly in favor of Lake Forest 8-7. With the mini-game still scoreless that meant the teams would now play a 20-minute sudden death overtime.

The overtime period would have a lot more drama. First the Saints would pick up a pair of penalties going down 5-on-3. However, during the 5-on-3 the Foresters would only get one shot on goal befure they themselves committed to a penalty. With just over five minutes remaining, it appeared the Saints were on the verge of coming home winners with a mad scramble in front of the Lake Forest net, but somehow the puck refused to go in. With that, the mini-game remained scoreless after the first overtime session.

On to the second overtime, which meant now that the players had played over 100 minutes of action on the night. CSS goaltender Lexi Thomeczek (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis AAA Blues)) stopped eight shots in the opening five minutes of the second period and the Saints again would commit a penalty. 

It appeared that the Saints were going to kill off another Lake Forest power-play, but Amy Budde hit a wrist shot from the top if the circle that found the net with five seconds left on the power-play to give the Foresters the mini-game victory and send them to the Slaats Cup Championship game.

Goaltending
Thomeczek made 24 saves in the game two shut out and then stopped 29 of 30 shots in the mini-game. Thomeczek's shutout in game two was her fourth of the season, which ties a program record. Fellow freshmen Jacque Rogers of Lake Forest had 13 saves in the game two loss and then stopped 15 shots in the mini-game.

End of Season
The Saints season ends with a 14-11-2 record. The Saints will say goodbye to seniors Anja Kadijevic (Zagreb, Croatia/General HS (Lindenwood)) , Sierra Hanowski (Warroad, Minn./Warroad HS), Brenna Smith (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley HS) and Lindsey Hartfiel (Big Lake, Minn./Buffalo HS).

For future information on the St. Scholastica women's hockey program, keep checking csssaints.com.