By
DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — With one Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season invitation still left to be handed out, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team headed into Friday's first game of their two-game conference series against St. Olaf knowing exactly what they needed to do to be awarded that invite.
The Cardinals needed a pair of wins against the Oles, and they needed their new best friends — Augsburg — to record at least a win and a tie in their two games against Concordia.
Step 1: Check — and check.
The Cardinals fulfilled their part of the bargain — getting the game-winner from
Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.) with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to lift Saint Mary's to a 4-3 win over the Oles — while their best-bud Auggies chipped in a 2-0 win over Concordia.
With the win(s), the Cardinals head into Saturday's rematch with the Oles needing to complete the conference sweep — and have Augsburg at least tie the Cobbers — to propel Saint Mary's into the post-season.
It was the Oles who struck first, as Maddy Johnson snuck one past Cardinal goalie
Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.) for her fourth of the season at 5:44 of the opening period.
Saint Mary's responded in a big way with three unanswered goals in a five-minute span — one by
Lauren Rogers (Barrington, Ill.) at 12:44, one by
Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) two minutes later, and another by
Carson Sheridan (Waunakee, Wis.) at 17:50 — to give the Cardinals what appeared to be a commanding 3-1 lead after the game's opening 20 minutes.
The Oles made things interesting, cutting the deficit to 3-2 with a goal by Carolyn Carpenter just 2:07 into the second period, before netting the equalizer with less than 12 minutes remaining in regulation when Margeaux beat Ziakas for her third goal of the season.
Saint Mary's would not let the game remain deadlocked for long, as Zebro came through in the clutch, scoring with less than three minutes on the clock to give the Cardinals the win — and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Ziakas finished with 11 saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Ole goalie Kaitlyn Pellicci stopped 29 Saint Mary's shots.
The Cardinals (5-8-4 MIAC, 8-10-6 overall) and Oles return to the ice on Saturday, heading to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for a 4 p.m. conference rematch.
