FOND DU LAC, Wis. - The Marian offense started slowly but used a five goal third period to defeat Saint Benedict's 5-1 in non-conference action.

"That was a great way to bounce back from a loss earlier in the week," commented head coach Jamie Kivi.  "For the girls to come back and capitalize in the third period was great to see.  Now it's all about trying to learn from tonight's game and get ready for tomorrow."

The game started with few stoppages that only saw five total shots on net between the two teams in the first period.  The Blazers found the back of the net first in the second period at the 2:07 mark to open the scoring.  Marian finished with an 8-4 shots advantage in the period but were unable to get on the scoreboard. 

The Sabres didn't need long to finally light the lamp in the third period when Courtney Wittig, with an assist to Sarah Bier, beat the Blazer goalie from the right circle in 4-on-4 action just 17 seconds into the period.  Wittig would net her second goal of the game a mere four minutes later when she forced a turnover in the CSB zone and beat the goalie above her blocker.

Sheila Blower then sent a shot at the net with 6:11 left in the period which caused a scrum in the crease where Rian Lennon was able to bury the puck for her first career goal.  Just 12 seconds later Alexis Peterson netted her first career goal when she was able to cause a turnover in the slot and put the shot past the glove of the goalie to put the score at 4-1. 

Jill Schneider got in on the action with 2:53 left to play in the period when she was able to find the back of the net on the power play for her second goal on the year.  Ellie Deans and Peterson assisted on the goal to put the score at the eventual 5-1 final.

"We just kept going and were finally able to get some pucks on net," commented Kivi on the offensive outbreak in the third period.  "We were crashing the net and got puck hungry and were finally able to get a lucky break.  We had 40 minutes of scoreless hockey on our part and being able to score five times in the third was exciting to see, especially with most of the scoring coming from our freshmen.  Being able to see them step up and contribute gives them some good experience moving forward."

MU finished the game with a 29-8 shots advantage after sending 18 shots on goal in the third period.  Maddy Dixon made seven saves for her first career win and held the Blazers 0-3 on the power play.

"That's a great sign for us," commented Kivi on the strong defensive performance.  "Five of our six defensemen are returners so that experience alone helps.  Everybody came through when we needed them to and hopefully we can continue to stay strong in the back."

Marian closes out the series with Saint Benedict tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 7 with puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m.

--FightBlueFight--