Game Summary

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — After managing just one goal in its last three games, the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team's offense was due to break out of its mid-January funk.

Which was bad news for Augsburg.

The Cardinals only had two players score against the Auggies Friday night, but those two accounted for five goals, as Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) scored three times and Melissa Mondo (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) added two as SMU broke out of its three-game funk in a big way with a 5-2 win.

"It was good to see us finally score some goals again," said SMU coach Duncan Ryhorchuk, whose team not only ended its string of one-goal games, but the Cardinals also snapped a three-game losing streak that went along with it. "Emily and Melissa played very well. They got the goals, but everyone else did their share of the work, too."

Kearns gave SMU more goals in the first period of Friday's game than the Cardinals had in any of their their last three games, netting back-to-back goals to give SMU a 2-0 first-period lead. Stacy Anderson would net a powerplay goal with less than five minutes to go in the period to pull Augsburg within one, 2-1, after one period.

In the second period, it was Mondo's turn to take center stage as she scored both her goals to give SMU a commanding 4-1 lead with 20 minutes remaining.

"Kearns completed her hat trick — and a five-point night (she also assisted on both Mondo goals) — five minutes into the third period to push the Cardinals' lead to 5-1, before Lauren Chezick closed out the scoring, beating SMU goalie Amanda Gage (Lino Lakes, Minn.) from in close at the 6:20 mark.

"We needed a win like that," said Ryhorchuk, whose team moves to 6-3-0 in the MIAC and 9-4-1 overall with the win. "In those last three games, we were getting good scoring chances, we just weren't putting the puck in the net.

"Tonight, we got the pucks to go in — and hopefully that will continue."