Forward Kathryn Larson looks for the puck. Larson has 28 total game points this season. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Bethel’s Wendy Roberts chases the puck down the ice. St. Thomas took on Bethel in the MIAC Championship Saturday afternoon. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Larson prepares for a face-off against Bethel in the second period. St. Thomas defeated Bethel 2-1 in the MIAC Championship Saturday afternoon. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Center Allie Borgstrom chases the action. Borgstrom received one penalty for tripping in the first period and one for roughing in the third. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Forward Briana Johnson looks over from the bench. The Tommies faced eight minutes on four infractions in Saturday’s game. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Leah Schwartzman follows the puck after passing to another teammate. This year is Schwartzman’s first year playing for the Tommies, with 21 total game points this season. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Larson focuses on the game. The Tommies were tied with Bethel until the third period when Megan Juricko scored. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
The St. Thomas women’s hockey team defeated Bethel 2-1 to win the MIAC playoff championship and secured an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament Saturday at St. Thomas Ice Arena.
The Tommies (20-5-2 overall, 12-4-2 conference) entered the game after winning five of their last six while Bethel (15-10-2 overall, 12-4-2 conference) had won six games in a row.
St. Thomas coach Tom Palkowski is proud of his team for its effort.
“This is a great group of girls who have worked their tails off since day one and know how to take care of business,” Palkowski said. “This is the second regular-season conference title and third playoff championship for this group of seniors, so they know how to win.”
The Tommies got on the board early when freshman forward Becca Zarembinski scored at the 8:18 mark of the first period following a scramble in front of the net.
“I just kept with it and shot it upper right and hoped it would go in,” Zarembinski said. “It was awesome.”
Forwards Courtney Umland and Ellie Tabaka were credited with assists.
It looked as if the Tommies were going to head into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead until Bethel forward Lauren Kolak wove her way through the St. Thomas defense and scored the tying goal with 1:53 left in the period.
The score was tied 1-1 after the first period, and no one one was able to find the net in the second.
The Tommies took the lead back, ultimately scoring the game-winning goal at the 3:31 mark of the third period when senior defender Megan Juricko got a shot past the goaltender.
“I just carried the puck down the side, took a shot from the far side, and I don’t really remember the rest,” Juricko said. “It was all just a blur of excitement.”
Tabaka and Zarembinski were credited with assists on Juricko’s goal.
The Tommies used their speed to pressure Bethel for the remainder of the game, not allowing the Royals to get the puck out of the zone very often.
In the final minute of the game, the Tommies continued their pressure, making it impossible for the Royals to move the puck forward enough to pull their goalie until it was too late, giving St. Thomas a 2-1 victory.
Juricko is excited about winning the conference tournament title but also has her eyes on the big picture.
“We set goals at the beginning of the season, and one of them was to win the MIAC playoff championship and get the automatic NCAA bid,” Juricko said. “It’s just another stepping stone towards our ultimate goal.”
Palkowski knows how important the automatic NCAA tournament is for his team moving forward.
“As good of a season as we had we were still not going to get an at-large bid if we didn’t win today,” Palkowski said. “I’m happy that we get to keep playing.”
The NCAA tournament field will be announced on March 7 at 9 a.m. Check TommieMedia.com for updates.
Taylor Smith can be reached at smit9660@stthomas.edu.