CSS Women’s Hockey Dominates St. Olaf in Thrilling Weekend Series

St. Scholastica’s sports teams had a busy week, and honestly, it was a wild ride across several sports. The women’s hockey team picked up five points against St. Olaf, the men’s hockey team fought through some tough games, and the basketball squads kept things interesting in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).

Let’s get into the details from the past week. There were some key moments and a few players who really stood out.

CSS Women’s Hockey Shines Against St. Olaf

The St. Scholastica women’s hockey team had a weekend to remember. They grabbed five out of six points in their home-and-home series with St. Olaf.

Friday night in Northfield, Minnesota, the Saints eked out a 1-0 win. Greta Culshaw-Klein scored early on a power play, and that was all they needed for the next 50 minutes. Makenzie Cole held it down in goal, making 31 saves for the shutout.

Saturday’s Thrilling Tie and Shootout Win

Saturday at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth was just as intense. The Saints went up 2-0 by the halfway mark, but St. Olaf stormed back and took a brief lead with less than four minutes left.

Hanley Block tied it up with just 16.6 seconds left, sending it to a shootout. The Saints pulled it off there, grabbing another crucial point. Cole was steady again with 21 saves, while Oles goalie Ray Anderson made 37 saves in her return to her old high school rink.

Men’s Hockey: A Mixed Bag

The St. Scholastica men’s hockey team had a real up-and-down weekend against St. Olaf. Friday’s game ended in a 5-2 loss at home, even though Wyatt Wurst and Gavin Gunderson found the net.

Hunter Hanson picked up assists on both goals. Eino Rissanen did his best with 36 saves.

Saturday’s Redemption

Saturday in Northfield, the Saints turned things around and won 3-2, finally grabbing their first MIAC win since November. Evan Pahos started the scoring with a shorthanded goal.

Jared Scott added another to make it 2-0 after two periods. Riley Girod scored an unassisted, shorthanded goal in the third, giving them just enough cushion as the Oles closed the gap.

Brenden Stroble came up big in goal, stopping 36 shots to lock down the win.

Women’s Basketball: Battling Bethel

St. Scholastica’s women’s basketball team had their hands full with the 21st-ranked Bethel Royals. Ava Haus put on a show, dropping 25 points, but the Saints ended up losing 77-71.

They actually led at halftime, but Bethel’s third-quarter run was tough to stop. Elly Schmitz, a Hermantown alum, gave the Royals a boost with 14 points and 12 boards.

Midweek Triumph Over Macalester

Earlier in the week, the Saints rolled to a 70-49 win over Macalester in St. Paul. Kloey Lind was unstoppable, scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Ava Haus chipped in 20 points. CSS forced 20 turnovers and only coughed it up three times, which helped them overcome their rebounding struggles.

Men’s Basketball: Tough Loss to Bethel

The St. Scholastica men’s basketball team also took on Bethel and lost 85-70. Hermantown’s Blake Schmitz led the Royals with 26 points.

Davion Butler and Jayden Brown paced the Saints with 24 and 15 points. CSS had a strong first half but couldn’t keep up with Bethel’s hot shooting down the stretch.

Looking Ahead

With the season winding down, the Saints are gearing up for their final games. The women’s hockey team will face No. 5-ranked Gustavus Adolphus in a home-and-home series.

The men’s hockey team wraps up its season with a similar setup against Gustavus Adolphus. The women’s basketball team has three of its last four regular-season games at home, starting with a matchup against St. Olaf.