NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's hockey team rallied from 3-1 down to tie the game at 3-3, but Sophia Zebro tallied the game-winning goal with 2:50 remaining to lift Saint Mary's University (Minn.) past the Oles, 4-3, on Friday evening at St. Olaf Ice Arena.
Saint Mary's (8-10-6, 5-8-4 MIAC) used three unanswered goals in the opening period to build a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes. St. Olaf (0-21-3, 0-14-3 MIAC) responded by tallying the next two goals to tie it at 3-3 midway through the third period, but Zebro struck for the game-winner inside the final three minutes to keep the Cardinals' MIAC Playoff hopes alive.
The Oles took an early lead on senior
Maddy Johnson's fourth goal of the season at 5:10 of the opening period. The senior led a 2-on-1 into the Cardinals' zone and fired the puck over the blocker of Ary Ziakas go put St. Olaf on top.
Saint Mary's got goals from Lauren Rogers, Natalie Ryan and Carson Sheridan in the span of 5:06 later in the period to take a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.
Sophomore
Carolyn Carpenter brought St. Olaf within a goal just 2:07 into the second period, firing home a loose puck between the circles for her second of the season.
The Cardinals nursed the 3-2 lead until the 8:43 mark of the third period when senior
Margeaux Cohen got her third goal of the season by beating Ziakas down low with a wrist shot from the slot after being found from behind the net by junior
Johanna Glaaser.
As the trailer on a 3-on-2 break, Zebro fired the puck past the blocker of
Kaitlyn Pellicci for the game-winner. In search of a game-tying goal, St. Olaf pulled Pellicci out of a timeout with 1:22 left, but could not muster a shot on goal with the extra attacker.
Pellicci totaled 29 saves in the loss for the Oles, while Ziakas made 11 stops to pick up the win for the Cardinals.
The two teams conclude the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. at Saint Mary's Ice Arena. The Cardinals sit one point behind Concordia for the fifth and final spot in the MIAC Playoffs with one game remaining.
