MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. – Biz Huss (Jr., Beaver Bay, Minn.) located the puck in the back of the net just over two minutes into the first period Saturday night, but it was all she and the Royals could muster in the 3-1 loss to St. Thomas. UST tallied the equalizer five minutes before the end of the first period and added the go-ahead and insurance goals in both the second and third periods, finishing the contest in favor of the hosting Tommies.
Things were looking good early on when Huss took advantage of a power play opportunity, scoring two minutes into the game on a
Kalie Johnson (Fr., Richfield, Minn.) and
Anna Carlson (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) assist. The assist moved Johnson among the top three freshmen in the league for points scored thus far, while Carlson improved her points scored in power play opportunities to 12 – a stat she already led coming into the weekend.
St. Thomas wouldn't take no for an answer though, as the Tommies scored three unanswered goals to win its sixth straight competition and ninth in its last 11 games. Alise Riedel stopped 27 of 28 Royal shots, which boosted her weekend total to 69 saves.
Jess Newstrom (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) had a stellar night in the net, saving 41 of UST's 44 shots, yet three St. Thomas goals was the decider in the Saturday affair.
Rachael Geng (Sr., South Saint Paul, Minn.) and
Cristina Masten (So., Fergus Falls, Minn.) led Bethel with four shots each.
The Royals now stand in fifth place with a MIAC record of 6-6-0, while the Tommies improved to 7-4-1 within conference play to gain a share of second place. BU will have a two-game collision next weekend against Augsburg, who currently sits one spot behind in the playoff standings.
