Box Score Box Score | GameDay Preview

ST. PETER, Minn. — After surrendering eight goals in their first meeting with the nation's sixth-ranked team, the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team did their best to put the clamps on high-powered Gustavus Saturday afternoon.

The Gusties, however, would have none of it, as Gustavus broke open a one-goal game with three second-period tallies in completing its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep of the Cardinals with a 5-0 victory at the Don Roberts Ice Arena.

“They're good, it's that simple,” said SMU coach Terry Mannor. “I thought we played pretty well today, and we still came out on the short end of a 5-0 game. (Gustavus) is just so deep and so talented — they are tough.”

The Gusties peppered SMU goalie Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) with 10 first-period shots, but couldn't find the back of the net until the 10th and final shot of the period, as Meagan Wanecke netted a short-handed tally with five seconds remaining to give GAC a 1-0 cushion after 20 minutes.

“That goal took a lot of wind out of our sails,” said Mannor. “We were bending, but not breaking — but that goal kind of broke us.”

The Gusties then put the game out of reach, getting second-period goals from Jenna Christensen, Carolyn Draayer and Marissa Brandt, before Amanda Cartony closed out the scoring with her ninth of the season with less than three minutes remaining in the third period.

Gustafson finished with 37 saves — including 19 in the third period — while Marah Sobczak needed to stop just six shots in recording the shutout for Gustavus.

SMU (3-8-3 MIAC, 6-11-4) is back in action next weekend, hosting Concordia for a pair of conference games at the SMU Ice Arena. The Cardinals and Cobbers square off on Friday night at 7 p.m., then square off again Saturday at 2 p.m.