By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team was a model of consistency Friday evening its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup against St. Catherine.
 
The Cardinals scored once in the first period … once in the second period … and once more in the third period en route to a 3-1 victory over the Wildcats at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The Cardinals dominated the game's opening 20 minutes, outshooting the Wildcats 7-2 — the seventh of which found the back of the net, when Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) beat SCU goalie Karly Schmidt on the power play at 14:30 to give Saint Mary's a 1-0 advantage.
 
Saint Mary's would strike again midway through the second period, as Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) rifled a shot from the point that eluded a screened Schmidt. Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.) and Amber Miller (Kasson, Minn.) picked up the assists on Ryan's second goal of the season.
 
The Cardinals maintained their two-goal cushion through the final 8:46 of the middle frame, but the Wildcats cut the advantage in half just 1:27 into the third period, as Emilee Anderson foiled Jordan Keeley's (St. Peter, Minn.) shutout bid with an unassisted tally — her fifth goal of the season.
 
Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) gave the Cardinals a little breathing room, scoring her second of the season — and second in as many games — off an assist from Katie Pierpont (Holt, Mich.) with nine minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Keeley finished with 15 saves in winning for the second time in three starts for the Cardinals, while Schmidt made 24 saves for the Wildcats — including 11 in the third period.
 
The Cardinals (2-1-0 MIAC, 2-4-0 overall) and Wildcats (0-3-0 MIAC, 3-3-0 overall) head to Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday for the second game of the teams' two-game conference series. Opening face-off is slated for 4:30 p.m.