CSB drops two at UW-Eau Claire to open season

Last weekend, CSB Hockey began their season on the road with a two-game series against the nationally ranked University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Although the Bennies were defeated in both games, they still considered the weekend a success.

“They were ranked number three in the nation two years ago and we were able to keep up with them… Their coach even commented after the game that they had underestimated us and weren’t ready for how hard we came out in the first period,” senior Zoe Culshaw-Klein said.

Despite the loss, keeping up with one of the top teams in the nation is no small feat.

“After playing Eau Claire, we’re confident that we’re playing at a high level and are looking to build off of the success we attained last weekend,” head coach Nick Thibault said.

CSB lost 2-4 on Friday, Oct. 29 and they lost 1-5 on Saturday, Oct. 30. The three goals scored by the Bennies were shot by first years Ava Stinnett, who scored once in each game, and Sami Boerboom, who scored the second goal in Friday’s game.

“They really stepped up for us this past weekend. With only having nine upperclassmen, there is a lot of energy that comes from the younger players,” senior Maggie Gilchrist said.

Over half of the Bennie hockey team is comprised of underclassmen players. With ten first years and seven sophomores, the team is extremely young, but talented.

“We’re confident coming off of this weekend because we know that we can compete with the top teams in the country, which should translate to us having success within our conference,” Thibault said.

Going forward, the Bennies are excited to get into more MIAC matchups and showcase what they’ve been working for. The team has had a busy pre-season, attending strength and conditioning sessions each week and also holding captain’s practices.

“Every weekend is a dog fight in our conference for a top-five playoff spot, so we’re eager to prove that we belong at the top of the conference,” Thibault said.

Although the Bennies will have many MIAC games throughout the season, they will also face a plethora of talented Wisconsin schools as well, including Concordia University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and University of Wisconsin-Superior.

“They were two pretty evenly matched games, but they were just able to capitalize on mistakes we made,” Culshaw-Klein said. It was the first game of the season and the first collegiate game for many of the Bennies.

With the first games of the season under their belts and a tough weekend of competing now in the past, the Bennies are ready to take what they learned from playing against the Blugolds, and use it to their advantage in their upcoming games.

“It gave the team some confidence to know that we can skate with a team as good as they are,” Culshaw-Klein said.

According to senior Julia Pias, the games at Eau Claire only serve as preparation for the rest of the season when the Bennies will take on other talented teams.

The Bennies have a lot more time to practice and prepare as the season goes on, which will only help them grow stronger as a team. According to Gilchrist, a younger team that has more energy will help produce more competitive practices, and in turn, this will allow the team to make even more progress in the upcoming weeks.

This weekend, on Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6 the Bennies will face Concordia University of Wisconsin at home, in the Ritschie Arena in St. Cloud.

“Our fans get pretty rowdy at [home], so there tends to be a buzz/atmosphere in the rink that gives us a home-ice advantage,” Thibault said, “We’re looking forward to giving them something to cheer about again this season.”