Box Score  | GameDay Preview

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — If the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team's game against St. Olaf Friday evening was a sprint, the quick-starting Oles would have left the Cardinals in the dust.

SMU struggled to get out of the blocks, as St. Olaf erupted for three first-period goals and held off the Cardinals' late rally to hand Saint Mary's a 5-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Northfield Ice Arena.

“Despite the outcome, this was a great college hockey game,” said SMU coach Terry Mannor. “It was fast-paced, back-and-forth … We didn't get off the start we wanted and that proved to be the difference.

“We had a bunch of flurries at the end, we just couldn't convert on them,” Mannor added. “We made a few mental mistakes that hurt us a bit, but we never gave up and battled right to the end.

“I'm already looking forward to (Saturday's rematch).”

The Oles, behind Nicole Stumpf, raced out to a 3-0 first-period lead, as Stumpf sandwiched a pair of goals — including one short-handed — around a goal by Margot Fleming to give St. Olaf the three-goal advantage through 20 minutes.

Rory Petrisin (High Bridge, N.J.) got the Cardinals on the board 48 seconds into the second period, but St. Olaf regained its three-goal lead on Kira Clunis' goal at 10:52.

Fleming added her second goal of the game midway through the third period to push the Oles' lead to 5-1, before SMU began its comeback — getting goals from Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.) and Lauren Borkowski (St. Charles, Minn.) to cut the deficit to 5-3.

That, however, would be as close as the Cardinals would get.

Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) finished with 17 saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Sam Ubl kicked out 31 SMU shots in goal for the Oles.

SMU (2-3-0 MIAC, 3-5-0 overall) gets another shot at the Oles on Saturday, as the Cardinals host St. Olaf in a 2 p.m. conference rematch at the SMU Ice Arena.