The St. Thomas women’s hockey team ended its 30-day winter break with a 3-1 win against Wisconsin-Stevens Point Tuesday night at home.
The game started off with three penalties, two from the Pointers and one from the Tommies, but after the Tommies got their second power play halfway through the first period, sophomore defenseman Maria Bothwell took a pass from freshman Morgan Olson on the line and netted her first goal of the year.
“It felt good. I’ve been waiting a long time for it,” Bothwell said.
Coach Tom Palkowski said Bothwell has worked toward this goal gradually.
“She was a forward, and we moved her back to defense this year, and the last six games you can tell the confidence has built,” Palkowski said. “She’s got the mentality to take the puck and go and create the offense as well as play solid defense, which is huge.”
Junior forward Korinne O’Connor and freshman forward Paige Baldwin scored goals five minutes into the second period to make it a 3-0 game, causing Stevens Point to become aggressive with its shots.
Freshman goaltender Chelsey Sitzmann stood ready between the pipes in her second start of the year but was not nervous about the game.
“I didn’t practice yesterday because my skate broke. My blade fell off the bottom of it, so I had to go get that fixed. So that was more nerve-wracking than anything,” Sitzmann said.
Sitzmann, who stopped 26 of 27 shots, credited her teammates for her strong performance.
“The girls in front of me were playing a lot better than we have in the past,” Sitzmann said. “If we want to continue winning, that’s just what’s gotta happen.”
In spite of the 30-day break, broken skates or the past record with the Pointers, Palkowski said his team played well.
“You’re off 30 days and they (Stevens Point) played last weekend, but I thought it was one of our better games,” Palkowski said.
Last time they met, the Pointers beat the Tommies 4-1 and 2-1. Palkowski said his team learned from the beginning of the season and deserved the win.
“We can’t get outworked,” Palkowski said. “I think we’ve proved that tonight, and we played 60 minutes. And we’re back at it tomorrow night.”
The Tommies play at Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wednesday night.
Hannah Anderson can be reached at ande5385@stthomas.edu