Saints sports week: CSS, Bethel split hockey series

Brodie Girod's goal at 8:37 of the third period completed St. Scholastica's rally from a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's hockey win at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth on Friday night.

Three goals in a stretch of 2:37 in the second period catapulted the Royals into a 3-1 lead, but the Saints drew even by the intermission. Hunter Hanson made it 3-2 with 5:33 left in the period and Nathan Adrian scored on the power play, his second goal of the game, to even it up with 2:45 left.

Eino Rissanen made 34 saves in the Saints net.

CSS could not double down on the win, as Saturday's second game of the series went to the Royals, 2-1 in Blaine, Minnesota.

Cloquet-Esko-Carlton alum and Royals team captain Dane Stoyanoff gave Bethel a 2-0 lead late in the second period. Girod pulled a goal back for CSS with 9:45 to play but that was all the Saints got, as they had to kill two minor penalties in the last seven minutes.

Rissanen made 20 saves.

The Saints (9-9-1, 4-6-0 MIAC) have some work to do to reach the postseason, as they stand in a three-way tie for the last two MIAC playoff spots. They'll play four of their last six games at home, starting with a Friday contest vs. Saint Mary's at Mars Lakeview Arena.

Like the men's team, St. Scholastica won the home end of a MIAC home-and-home with Bethel, taking the second game 3-0 on Saturday at Mars Lakeview Arena.

Makenzie Cole made an incredible 60 saves in 60 minutes to keep the Royals out of the net.

Grace Chapman broke a scoreless deadlock with 1:45 left in the second period to put the Saints in front, and a Taylor Leonard goal 4:58 into the third doubled the advantage before Jenna Horvat scored late into an empty net.

Cole made 40 more saves on Friday but one goal was not enough offensive support in a 2-1 Bethel win in St. Paul.

Chapman gave CSS a 1-0 lead with 4:23 left in the first period, but Emily Wiltse had goals in the second and third periods to tie the game and give Bethel the lead.

CSS (4-13, 2-8 MIAC) plays at Saint Mary's in a two-game road series in Winona on Friday and Saturday.

A lack of defensive stops kept St. Scholastica from getting its first back-to-back MIAC men's basketball wins, as Hamline motored to a 99-76 win over the Saints at Reif Gymnasium in Duluth.

The Pipers shot better than 62% from the field in both halves and had two players score 20 points.

CSS trailed 49-37 at the half and was never within 10 after the break.

Jacquez Overstreet led the Saints with 20 points, while Aaron Keykal added 14.

CSS took down Bethel 76-66 in St. Paul on Wednesday night, holding the Royals under 40% shooting in both halves, even though four Royals scored in double figures.

Blake Schmitz (Hermantown) had six for Bethel.

Koy Nelson was a single assist short of a triple-double for the Saints: 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Keykal and Andrew Crockett Jr. finished with 13 points apiece.

The Saints (7-11, 3-6 MIAC) host Carleton on Wednesday.

St. Scholastica's bid for the MIAC playoffs suffered twin setbacks last week with losses to Bethel and Hamline, knocking the Saints into a four-way tie for the last three spots in the league postseason with eight games to play.

Saturday, Hamline came away 61-52 winners at Reif Gym in Duluth after the Saints' shooters came up cold in the second half. CSS led 38-29 at the break but scored only 14 points on 5-for-21 from the field and 0-for-12 from 3-point range in the second half.

Kloey Lind led CSS with 21 points, while Ava Haus added 12.

On Wednesday, league-leading Bethel rolled to a 73-54 win with help from 15 points and eight rebounds by Hermantown alum Elly Schmitz.

The Saints trailed by a manageable 33-28 at halftime but the Royals went 16-for-27 from the floor in the second half to score 40 points with the benefit of just one 3-pointer.

Haus led CSS with 14 points, while Hope Carlson (Proctor) added 11 off the bench.

The Saints (9-8, 6-4 MIAC) host Carleton on Wednesday night.