Box Score Box Score | GameDay Preview

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. — After scoring four goals in a 4-1 nonconfernece win over St. Olaf on Jan. 14, Saint Mary's University women's hockey coach Terry Mannor was hoping his team had finally broken out of its offensive funk heading into a key Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against St. Thomas.

Unfortunately for Mannor, the funk continued against the Tommies, as SMU failed to equal those four goals against St. Olaf in the two games — combined — against UST.

St. Thomas, which handed the Cardinals a 3-2 overtime setback on Saturday at the SMU Ice Arena, completed the sweep on Sunday, beating SMU 3-1 in the teams' rematch at the St. Thomas Ice Arena.

“I thought all weekend we created a ton of really good offensive opportunities — it's just the same old story, we can't put the puck in the net,” said Mannor. “The effort was there — this team did everything I could ask of them — we just seem to be snakebit when it comes to scoring goals.”

After a scoreless first period for the second straight day, it was the Tommies who broke the deadlock, as Kaylee Keys netted an unassisted shorthanded tally with less than a minute remaining to give UST a 1-0 lead heading into the game's final 20 minutes.

Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season at 6:04 of the third, but the Tommies answered three minutes later on Keys second of the game. UST's Kelsey Barnier iced the St. Thomas win with an empty net goal with 48 seconds remaining in regulation.

Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) finished with 24 saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Alise Riedel recorded 20 saves — including 10 in the third period — for St. Thomas.

The Cardinals (1-4-2 MIAC, 4-7-3 overall) are back in action on Friday, traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference game against Augsburg. The same two teams will then square off at the SMU Ice Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m.