NORTHFIELD, Minn. — In their two games against St. Olaf this weekend, the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team scored a grand total of two goals.
But in the new math that is the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs, one-plus-one equals four.
The Cardinals, coming off a 1-1 tie against the Oles on Friday at the SMU Ice Arena, scored just one goal in Saturday's rematch, but
Erin Stenseth's (Eau Claire, Wis.) second-period tally was all they would need, as SMU beat St. Olaf 1-0.
And, more importantly, locked up the No. 4 seed in the MIAC playoffs — and a Tuesday home date against — who else? — St. Olaf.
“We knew what was at stake (Saturday),” said SMU coach
Terry Mannor. “We knew that a win would get us in the fourth seed and a home playoff game. And we came out and controlled the play from start to finish.
“It was a great effort all the way around — and it was nice to see us finally put three complete periods together.”
The Cardinals, who got a third-period tally from
Stevie Fiek (Rochester, Minn.) in rallying for the 1-1 tie on Friday, got all they offense they would need midway through the second period, as Stenseth netted her sixth goal of the season to account for the game's only goal.
Kaye Collier (Hibbing, Minn.) made sure that one-goal lead stood up, as the SMU freshman stopped all 27 Ole shots in earning her fifth shutout of the season.
“Kaye played very well,” said Mannor, whose team outshot the Oles 34-27. “We had so many good scoring chances, we just couldn't seem to convert.
“This was a great win for us,” Mannor added. “We wanted to get back into the (conference) playoffs, and today we put together one of our most complete efforts of the season and got the job done.”
The Cardinals will host St. Olaf in the opening round of the conference playoffs on Tuesday at the SMU Ice Arena. The winner will face six-time defending MIAC regular-season champion Gustavus on Thursday in St. Peter, Minn.
