WINONA, Minn. — When it comes to Bethel, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team really does have a home-ice advantage.
 
Heading into Saturday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game, the Cardinals were unbeaten (3-0-1) in their last four meetings with the Royals at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena—with all four games being decided by one goal or less.
 
And thanks to Lindsay Paschke's (New Prague, Minn.) second-period goal and the stellar goaltending of Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.), the Cardinals pushed both of those streaks to five in a row with another one-goal home victory— a 1-0 decision.
 
"This whole weekend we played exceptional hockey," said Saint Mary's coach Terry Mannor. "We played with a lot of heart, a lot of confidence, and we never got rattled.
 
"To come away with a pair of conference wins—against a very good team—is awesome," Mannor added. "The ladies worked extremely hard all weekend, and they were rewarded for those efforts."
 
After a scoreless first period—for the second game in a row—the Cardinals got on the board first—for the second game in a row—as Paschke tipped in a Taylor Pogreba (St. Paul, Minn.) slap shot from the point on the power play four minutes into the middle period.
 
And with Herrmann between the pipes, one goal was all the Cardinals would need.
 
Herrmann made 24 saves—including six on the Royals' five power play opportunities—en route to her second shutout of the season and third of her career. Bethel goalie Michelle Klimstra, meanwhile, finished with 20 saves.
 
The Cardinals (5-2-1 MIAC, 7-6-2 overall) hit the road on Friday, traveling to St. Peter, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown against nationally ranked Gustavus. Saint Mary's and GAC will then play the second game of their conference series on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.