Duluth, MN. – The St. Scholastica Women's hockey team took to the ice for the second time in De Pere, Wis. to once again face off against the Green Knights of Saint Norbert College.
Today's matchup was an evenly fought effort with either team eligible for the win, however late in the third period, the Green Knights scored a goal to take the lead and secure the game-two victory.
How it Happened
First Period
The opening period of the game gave both goaltenders action, with the Saints getting a total of 10 shots, eight of which were on target, and all saved by the goaltender. On the Saints' end of the ice, the Green Knights were able to release 30 shots, 18 of those 30 were on target; all 18 were saved by the Saints goaltender, Makenzie Cole (Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids HS).
Breaking the period down, the first two minutes of play were dominated by St. Norbert, keeping the Saints on their heels and attempting seven shots.
The Saints would gain control of the puck and have their first chance on offense, beating the defense three times, for three shots.
Both teams went back and forth, exchanging possession, shots, and faceoffs, until the Green Knights once again took control of the puck for another two minutes as the Saints found themselves in the penalty box. In that time, the Saints successfully defended against nine shots, killing off the penalty.
The Saints struggled on offense following their penalty, getting bursts of life, allowing shots to go one by one, but they excelled on defense, successfully stopping 10 shots.
The first period came to a close with a score of 0-0.
Second Period
The Second period of play saw the Saints dominate through all 20 minutes on the ice. The Saints outshot the Golden Knights 23-12, while also getting more of their shots on goal, recording 15 compared to the Golden Knights seven.
The period began with St. Norbert having possession in the Saints zone, in that time, they managed to attempt two shots, but Cole was right there and let nothing through.
The Saints would take the puck into the Green Knights territory, and ring out three consecutive shots. The Golden Knights got the puck quickly and got one more shot off, which was once again stopped just before the Saints buckled down on offense.
The Saints had a long possession in the Golden Knights zone, and managed to get four shots off, as well as a goal. Victoria Nelson (Mahtomedi, MN/Mahtomedi HS) was able to beat the St. Norbert defense and score her first collegiate goal, coming off assists from Hanley Block (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria HS) and Lyndi Schubert (Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville HS). The Saints now had a 1-0 lead nearing the halfway mark.
The Golden Knights came out of the center ice faceoff with possession, but that didn't last long as Saint Norbert now found themselves in the penalty box for hooking.
Now on the power play, the Saints had an excellent opportunity to extend their lead. During their power play, the Saints never relinquished possession, hammering the Golden Knights defense with 10 power play shots, followed by two closely after. Much to the dismay of the Saints, none of their 12 shots managed to beat the Golden Knights goaltender.
Only a little over two minutes after the Saints' power play had ended, Saint Norbert once again found themselves on the power play, this time, after three shots, the Golden Knights managed to tie the game at 1-1 with two and a half minutes remaining.
The second period ended once again in a tie, this time 1-1.
Third Period
Period three was a very even exchange between the two teams, the total shots were only within one, the Saints had 15, and the Golden Knights had 14. However, the Saints fell one short compared to the Golden Knights in shots on goal, recording nine against their 10.
The period opened up with the Saints commanding the ice, the Saints were able to let eight shots fly and hold the Golden Knights to zero before the Saints were once again on power play.
The Saints' second power play was played more conservatively, attempting a total of two shots, while not giving up the puck once.
The Saints' power play came to an end, and the game flipped, St. Norbert began to take charge in the period, attempting eight shots, while only allowing the Saints three. All of this before the Saints were once again in the penalty box.
Beginning their arduous two-minute penalty kill. On their heels in their end, the Saints successfully defended against two shots, but the third managed to find the back of the net giving the Green Knights the lead with only 5:40 remaining to play.
The Saints had a power play for the remainder of the game. With time winding down, and a one-goal deficit the Saints decided to pull their goalie to give themselves a two-skater advantage. But with just 20 seconds left to play, the Saints were unable to get another shot off as the final horn sounded.
The game came to a close with a final score of 1-2.
Goaltending
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Makenzie Cole (Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) was in the net for the Saints. She faced a total of 35 shots and recorded 33 saves. She ended the game with a save percentage of .943.
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Keira Markell was in the net for the Golden Knights. She faced a total of 32 shots and recorded 31 saves. She ended the game with a save percentage of .969.
Up Next
The Saints (0-2-0, 0-0-0 MIAC) will host the Falcons (0-0) of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, at Mars Lakeview Arena. The game is scheduled for Saturday, November. 9, at 3 p.m.
