Mormon had made certain that he noted that the priests of Noah escaped during the episode when Noah had been taken and executed. The reason it was important to note their escape was so that this part of the story could be told. The priests had escaped, but they were on their own. They had left family behind and could not return for them. They were forced into a new life.
We cannot know if they were searching for a way to find wives, or if the chance of finding this place of ritual simply provided an opportunity they chose to use to their advantage. What they did was steal away the daughters of the Lamanites. A similar story of the abduction of young women who were dancing is told in Judges 21:16–23. It is possible that the story from Israel’s history was known to the priests, and may have served as their justification.