St. Ambrose used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from William Woods, earning an 11-7 victory Saturday afternoon in conference tournament play at home.

The Bees came out strong, with Zak Brown scoring twice in the opening quarter to give St. Ambrose an early 2-0 lead. Brown's aggressive play set the tone, generating scoring chances and keeping pressure on the William Woods defense.

William Woods responded in the second quarter, scoring three straight goals to take a 5-4 lead midway through the period. St. Ambrose countered with a strong offensive push led by Zach Priami, who scored back-to-back goals—one assisted by Cameron Washington and another from Aidan Fergus—to briefly regain the lead. Despite the surge, William Woods closed the half ahead 5-4, capitalizing on transition opportunities and extra-man play.

The Bees came out of halftime focused, with Zak Brown tying the game early in the third quarter. Moments later, Priami struck again—this time off a feed from Nick Toman—to give St. Ambrose a 6-5 advantage heading into the final quarter.

St. Ambrose dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring William Woods 5-2 to secure the win. After the Owls tied the game at 6-6, the Bees responded with a decisive run. Ryan Swanson ignited the stretch with a goal off an assist from Joey Curzon, followed by a man-up goal from Jagger Shaddix, assisted by Priami. Swanson added another goal moments later—this time assisted by Brown—to extend the lead, and Ayden Fraelle capped the run with an unassisted goal to make it 10-6. Brown sealed the game late with his fourth goal of the day in the final seconds.

Individual Highlights

• Zak Brown: 4 goals, 1 assist
• Zach Priami: 3 goals, 1 assist
• Ryan Swanson: 2 goals
• Ayden Fraelle: 1 goal, 10 shots
• Jagger Shaddix: 1 goal (extra-man)

Additional contributions:

• Nick Toman: 2 assists
• Cameron Washington, Aidan Fergus, and Joey Curzon: each added an assist

At the faceoff X, Mason Shackelford controlled possession, going 15-of-20 with 9 ground balls, helping the Bees dictate tempo throughout.

In goal, Carter Gras recorded 14 saves, anchoring the effort as St. Ambrose limited William Woods to just seven goals on 30 shots.

By the Numbers

St. Ambrose held advantages in shots (47-30), ground balls (36-30), and faceoffs (15-7). The Bees also forced 23 turnovers while converting key opportunities late in the game.

With the win, St. Ambrose moves on to the Heart Semifinals, where they will face Benedictine in Atchison, Kan., at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 30^th.