Late rally falls short for Red Knights
Four-goal third period not enough for BSM in loss at St. Thomas.
MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. -- A four-goal rally in the third period fell short for Benilde-St. Margaret's as the Red Knights held a 43-22 advantage on shots on goal but could not overcome a 5-1 deficit in a 7-5 loss to 10th-ranked St. Thomas.
The teams traded goals in the game's first two minutes, nine second, with Tristan Sarsland racing through all three zones to tally his ninth goal of the season, tying the score at 1-1.
However, despite a 25-16 advantage in shots through two periods, including a 16-6 margin in the second period, the Red Knights entered the final period trailing, 5-1.
Grant Ellings started the comeback when he scored 1:36 into the final period, the second of his three points on the night, before Jackson Hallum's second goal of the night restored the Cadets' four-goal lead.
Asher Connolly scored with 7:12 to play, getting an assists from Gavin Reed, who collected the first two points of his Red Knight career in the game.
Jackson Bisson tightened the game when he finished off an Adam Marshall feed with 4:42 to play to closed the STA lead to 6-4.
With a faceoff in the Cadet's zone with 1:46 to play, BSM pulled goalie Carson Limesand for an extra attacked and it took just seven seconds for the move to pay dividends as Marshall, who collected his third assist of the game, passed the puck out front, where it hit Ellings in the skate and deflected to Jonah Mortenson, who buried the puck to make it a one-goal game with 1:39 to play.
Adam Marshall picked up assists on three of BSM's five goals.
After winning the ensuing faceoff, the Red Knights pulled Limesand again but Hallum, who had a four-point night, got the puck to Jared Wright, who put the puck into the empty net to finish the scoring.
BSM now has six days to rest before finishing the season next week with three games in four days, beginning Monday at Richfield Arena, where the Red Knights face Holy Angels in a 7 p.m. contest.
