NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Visiting Saint Mary's University scored the final three goals of the game to pick up a 5-2 victory over the St. Olaf College women's hockey team in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) series opener on Friday night at St. Olaf Ice Arena.
With the teams locked at 2-2 late in the second period, Reese Heitzman scored the eventual game-winning goal with 1:01 to go in the period for Saint Mary's (9-4-0, 4-3-0 MIAC), which added two goals in the third period. The game was the first in over a month for St. Olaf (6-8-0, 0-7-0 MIAC), which last played on Saturday, Dec. 9.
The Oles got on the board first when junior
Sophie McBane drove towards the net on the left and stuffed the puck home for the junior's second goal of the season. The Cardinals, who sat one spot outside the top 15 in this week's USCHO.com national poll, pulled even at 1-1 at the first intermission when Celia Midtbo fired a shot from the top of the right circle through traffic on the power play with 5:59 to go in the period.
Saint Mary's struck first in the second period when Allie Urlaub tipped in a shot by Midtbo at the 6:23 mark to give the visitors their first lead of the night. St. Olaf answered just over two minutes later on the power play, however, when first year
Julia Larson threw the puck towards the net while falling down for Larson's seventh goal of the season. Six of Larson's seven goals have come in the last five games.
Heitzman provided the eventual game-winning goal for Saint Mary's by scoring on a breakaway with 1:01 to go in the second. Teagan Phillips and Sophia Paduano tacked on insurance goals for the Cardinals in the final nine-plus minutes.
Saint Mary's doubled up St. Olaf in shots on goal by a 34-17 margin. Celeste Rimstad, who entered the game with a 1.55 goals-against average, picked up the win for the visitors with a 15-save evening. Sophomore
Hannah Fritz made 29 saves in the loss for the Oles.
The two teams conclude their series on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. at SMU Ice Arena in Winona.
