By
MEAGHAN UPDIKE
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
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WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team was hungry for a victory — after settling for their second straight tie, this one a 2-2 deadlock against Bethel in the first game of their two-game Minnesotoa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series Friday evening.
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And a victory is what the Cardinals got, getting a first-period goal from
Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and a third-period tally from
Kourtney Jancze (Stillwater, Minn.) to beat the Royals 2-1 Saturday afternoon at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
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Wendt kicked things off for the Cardinals, scoring her fifth of the season — off an assist from
Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) — with less than three minutes remaining in the first period.
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Jancze extended the Saint Mary's lead to 2-0 very early in the third period — 34 seconds in, to be exact — as the freshman recorded her first collegiate goal, assisted by
Carson Sheridan (Waunakee, Wis.) and
Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.).
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Bethel's Grace Halvorsen foiled Cardinal goalie
Ary Ziakas' (Palatine, Ill.) shutout bid, cutting the Saint Mary's lead to 2-1 with a goal just five minutes after Jancze's.
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That, however, would be as close as the Royals would get, as Ziakas and Co. made the one-goal lead stand up.
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Ziakas stopped 20 of Bethel's 21 shots on goal for Saint Mary's, while Mallory Tidona made 18 saves for Bethel.
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The Cardinals (4-6-4 MIAC, 7-8-6 overall) are back in action for two conference matchups against Hamline next weekend. The Cardinals will travel to TRIA Rink in St. Paul, Minn. on Friday for a 7 p.m. contest, with the two teams returning to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for a 4 p.m. rematch the following afternoon.
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