ST. PAUL, MINN. – The St. Catherine University hockey team entered Saturday with a 2-0 record against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) foe Hamline University. The Wildcats were looking to go 3-0 on the season when they returned to Drake Arena to face the Pipers  Saturday night. Sadly, St. Kate's could not come away with a victory, as they fell to Hamline 2- 1 in their third and final meeting of the 2015-16 season.

"Puck possession and puck protection were two factors that played a major role in tonight's game," Head Coach Brad Marshall said after the loss. "It was a game of one-on-one battles and we were on the losing side of those two categories."

The Wildcats found themselves down early, as the Pipers scored their first goal just 22 seconds into the game. Still, St. Kate's hung with Hamline, holding the Pipers to just one goal in the first period. Starting goalie Abbi White (Wyoming, Minn. / Forest Lake) made nine saves, and the Wildcat defense killed two penalties to hold Hamline at bay.

After being outshot 6-10 in the first period, St. Kate's offense tried to push the puck into Hamline's zone in the second. In fact, both teams tried to get their offenses going, but both White and the Piper goaltender Jessica Cole were defensive walls, stopping every shot that came their way. Finally, Jordan Solheim (Thief River Falls, Minn. / Thief River Falls) broke through and scored St. Kate's first goal of the game. The junior forward's slap shot  tied the game at one and swung the momentum back in the Wildcats direction.

St. Kate's had several opportunities to take the lead after Solheim's goal but missed finding the net by just fractions of an inch. At the end of the second period, the game was tied 1-1, and the Wildcats looked like they were going to end the weekend with a 2-0-1 record against the Pipers this season. Then, Hamline defenseman Jaci Reinke found the net for the second time in the game, and the Pipers took a 2-1 lead they would never relinquish.

White faced 33 shots and made 31 saves in hre 58:42 minutes of work. The junior goalie was pulled in the final minutes for an extra scorer, but sadly, St. Kate's couldn't find the net for a second time. 

The Wildcats return to the rink next weekend for the final series of the 2015-16 season. St. Kate's will travel to Winona on Friday before returning home to celebrate Senior Day on Saturday. Puck drop on Saturday will be at 2 p.m. in Drake Arena.