Game Summary

BLAINE, Minn. — After losing their two regular-season meetings with Gustavus, the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team was hoping the third time — the most important time — would be the charm.

And it was.

But it certainly wasn't easy.

Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) scored a rebound goal with 4:55 remaining in regulation to lift the Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the Gusties in the championship game of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at the Schwan's Super Rink.

More importantly than their first victory over the Gusties in their last five meetings was the fact that the Cardinals earned the conference's automatic berth into next weekend's NCAA Division III national tournament.

"That was a great win," said SMU coach Duncan Ryhorchuk, whose team snapped a four-game winless streak against the Gusties (0-3-1) that included a 4-2 loss and a 1-1 tie in last year's MIAC tournament final. "We knew going in that there wasn't much difference between Gustavus and ourselves and that it was going to be a battle."

And a battle it was.

The Cardinals got on the board first at the 9:10 mark of the first period — with an assist from the Gusties — as Kate Williams' slap shot from the point deflected off a GAC defender and trickled past goalie Anne Kautzer and into the net.

Gustavus knotted the game at 1-1 less than two minutes later as Kenzie Stensland took a feed from Ellen Doyle and beat SMU goalie Missie Meemken.

That would be the extent of the teams' offense as Meemken and Kautzer were unbeatable, stopping 25 and 10 shots, respectively through two periods.

And while Meemken remained perfect in the third period, kicking out 6 Gustie shots to finish with 31 saves, Kautzer made one mistake — and Kearns and the Cardinals made her pay.

Beth Zubrzycki got off a shot from the right point that Kautzer stopped, but couldn't control the rebound, and Kearns was their to bang it home.

"We didn't play our best in the first period, but we stayed right with them on the scoreboard," said Ryhorchuk, whose team was outshot 11-5 in the opening period. "It was like we just kept getting strong as the game went on. In the second period, we had to kill off a few penalties, but I thought we played a better period. And then in the third period, I thought we dominated."

The Cardinals will now await until Sunday night, when the NCAA committee releases the six-team national-tournament field. SMU is already automatically a part of that field, but who, when and where they will play has yet to be determined.