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WINONA, Minn. — One goal — and a lucky break — is all it took for the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team to quietly slip past Hamline 1-0 Friday night in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at the SMU Ice Arena.

“We made that game a little closer than it should have been,” SMU coach Terry Mannor said. “But credit (Hamline), they never gave up.”

Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) connected on passes from Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.) and Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) at 10:13 of the first period to score the game's only goal.

The Cardinals caught a break on a disallowed goal in the second period as a Hamline shot slipped past Cardinal goaltender Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) just seconds after the net was dislodged.

“We came out flying tonight,” Mannor said. “We were moving our feet. We were winning the races.

“The only time they had control of the play is when we allowed them to.”

Throughout the tight game, Mannor was most proud of his team's perseverance.

“We never let down,” he said. “We didn't play to our best, but we never just sat back and watched.”

Looking forward, Mannor expects many games to be similar to tonight's.

“Plain and simple, every game is going to be tight. The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win.”

The two teams will square off again Saturday, as the Pipers play host to the Cardinals in a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown at Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minn.