MINOCQUA, WIS. – In terms of starts, the St. Catherine University hockey team could not have asked for a better one to the 2017-18 season. The Wildcats dominated in every facet of the game in Saturday's season opener against Finlandia University en route to a 3-1 win over the Lions.

 To say St. Kate's dominated in its season opener might be a bit of an understatement. The Wildcats outshot Finlandia 58-11 and scored three goals in 60 minutes of play. St. Kate's even took more penalties than the Lions, as the Wildcats served 18 minutes total compared to Finlandia's 14, which still gave St. Kate's plenty of time to perfect its power play. In fact, the Wildcats scored their first goal of the season on a power play opportunity. After the Lions Sarah Hockings took a penalty for hooking, Brede Postier (Dodge County, Minn. / Hamline) scored at 19:13 off passes from Tori Thompson (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) and Laken Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) to give St. Kate's a 1-0 lead.

Muller extended the Wildcats lead to 2-0 early in the second period. The junior forward scored an even strength goal at 4:35 in the second off passes from fellow juniors Thompson and MacKenzie Ess (Apple Valley, Minn. / Apple Valley).

After a physical second period, St. Kate's entered the third with a 2-0 lead over Finlandia. However, the Lions cut the lead in half when forward Natasha Kern beat starting goalie Kristen Pechacek (Park Falls, Wis. / Chequamegon) to score Finlandia's first goal of the season. However, a little over 10 minutes later, Morgan Tentis (Victoria, Minn. / Chanhassen) gave the Wildcats a two goal lead again. The junior scored her first of the season, extending St. Kate's lead to 3-1.

"Our juniors really led us on the score sheet," Wildcat head coach Brad Marshall said after the win. "We had good puck control on the power play as well today."

Seven student-athletes made their debuts for St. Kate's, including Postier, a junior transfer from Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) rival Hamline University. Postier finished the game with five shots, one of which was a goal, while first year Veronica Gruett (Woodbury, Minn. / Revolution) finished with seven. Thompson led all players with eight shots during the game, while several Wildcats tallied six.

Pechacek earned her first win of the season as she faced 10 shots and surrendered just one goal in 60 minutes of work.

With the win, St. Kate's opens the season with a perfect 1-0 record. The Wildcats will return to the rink on Friday, November 3 when they host the University of Wisconsin-Superior at 7:30 p.m. at Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.