Box Score  | GameDay Preview

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — After struggling to get their offense on track in their first three games of the season, the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team kicked things into high gear during its two-game stay at the Municipal Athletic Complex.

A day after picking up their first win of the season — a 3-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Saint Benedict on Friday — the Cardinals were even more impressive in the teams' conference rematch on Saturday.

SMU got goals from four different players — including two in the second period — as the Cardinals completed the two-game sweep of the Blazers with a 4-0 victory.

"We played our second straight solid game," said SMU coach Terry Mannor. "We kind of got off to a bit of a slow start to open the season, but really seemed to hit our stride a bit this weekend.

"Always nice to pick up two wins on the road."

Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) got the Cardinals off and running with her second of the season at 8:24 of the opening period. Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.) would add second period goals and Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.) rounded out the scoring with her first collegiate goal — a shorthanded tally — with 1:17 remaining in regulation.

While the Cardinal offense was heating up on one end, Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) was shutting down the CSB offense at the other, as the Cardinal junior stopped all 23 shots she faced in recording her first shutout of the season.

The Cardinals (2-2-0 MIAC, 2-3-0 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, hosting St. Scholastica in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at the SMU Ice Areana. SMU will then be off until Dec. 6, when they travel to Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference game against St. Catherine. The same two teams will then head to the SMU Ice Arena for the second game of the two-game MIAC series on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m.