The ritual: sticks neatly tapped, laces tight enough to pinch and a rink with a chill that makes 25 sets of breath visible. Freshly cut and eager for puck drop, home ice felt good under Hamline women’s hockey’s skates for their latest tilt against Saint Benedict on Nov. 19 after the previous day’s postponement.

“It was our typical Saturday game,” first-year defender Zoey Lobejko said. “We knew if we showed up and played how we know that we can, we would be just fine.”

Saint Benedict, whose season was off to a .500 starting record, was also looking for a win after their overtime 6-7 loss to Concordia.

“They came out a lot stronger than we thought that they would.” Lobejko said.

With 20:00 on the clock, the first faceoff saw the puck on a CSB stick, but the Pipers were quick to answer with the first two shots in the period.

Possession bounced back and forth until five minutes in when first-year Piper forward Bre Simon drew a penalty for roughing. The Blazers didn’t hesitate to capitalize, sending one passed first-year goaltender Annie Juergens.

The Pipers made a strong push in the second half of the period with a series of shots and faceoffs won, but the buzzer sounded and the scoreboard still read 0-1.

“We weren’t playing the best in the first period so we knew we had to step it up and get back to playing our game in the second period,” Lobejko said.

Once again, CSB came away with the puck drop, but the Pipers fought fast to regain possession, firing off a round of shots: two wide and two saved by CSB sophomore netminder Julia Carle.

CSB responded, but two back-to-back saves from Juergens sparked a shift in momentum for the Pipers.

“Our biggest issue was getting the puck out of our zone and controlling the puck better,” Lobejko said. “We knew if we could do that [then] the game would go in our favor.”

Swift shots in the second period from Lobejko and senior forward Jena Kosley opened the net up for junior forward Darby Dodds’ first goal of the game.

Tied 1-1, CSB fought to regain the lead: Juergens making five saves before the Pipers had the puck again and drawing a minor for hooking from first-year forward Sadie Baker shortly after.

With a save by Juergens and a shot blocked by Simon, the Pipers killed the power play and drew two themselves. Even with a two-skater advantage, the Pipers couldn’t find the net and were further frustrated at 17:24 when first-year defender Dani Wright was called for interference.

The faceoff was won by CSB to start the Blazer advantage, but the puck quickly found Pipers’ sticks: a pass from Simon saw Dodds strike the back of the net for a short-handed goal to take the lead.

“It always changes the game when a team gets a short handed goal,” Lobejko said. “Whether you’re on the ice or not, a goal always gets the whole team going.”

The second ended with the Pipers’ ahead by one, but the team wasn’t about to let up for the third.

Beating CSB on faceoffs 15 times to seven, the Pipers held the lead through two hooking penalties and fourteen shots, bringing home their fifth win of the season.

Their play may have been conservative to finish out the game, but the Pipers have their ambitions set ahead on making playoffs.

St. Thomas hosts Friday at 7:00 p.m., but the Pipers will skate Saturday’s matchup at 2:00 p.m. on home ice once again.