Box Score Game Summary / GameDay Preview

BLAINE, Minn. — Christmas break officially ended on Monday, when students returns to the classes for the first time in 2011 — but the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team's offense must not have gotten the message.

After managing just a single goal in each of its last three games, the Cardinals came up empty in Friday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Bethel, as the Royals scored once in all three periods in handing SMU a 3-0 setback at the Schwan's Super Rink.

“They just outworked us from start to finish,” said SMU coach Terry Mannor. “We just weren't able to get anything going (offensively) tonight.”

The Royals' Molly Eagles opened the scoring at 5:32 of the opening period, netting an unassisted tally for her second goal of the season. Allison Papko pushed Bethel's lead to 2-0 with her sixth of the season 11 minutes into the second period and Cristina Masten added her eighth of the year late in the third period to seal the win.

Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) finished with 39 saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Bethel goalie Jess Newstrom stopped all 19 SMU shots in recording the shutout.

SMU, which lost for the first time in conference play in falling to 3-1-3, gets another crack at the Royals on Saturday. The Cardinals host Bethel at 4 p.m. at the SMU Ice Arena in the second game of their two-game conference series.