By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — Home has been oh so sweet for the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team this season.
 
The Cardinals headed into Friday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with Bethel having posted all five of their wins — and both of their ties — on their home ice.
 
 Unfortunately for the Cardinals, there was nothing sweet about the end result Friday evening, as Bethel scored the game-winning goal 3:57 into overtime, lifting the Royals to a 3-2 win over Saint Mary's.
 
The Cardinals did not waste much time getting their offense jump-started, as Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) netted her team-leading ninth goal of the season — and fourth in the last five games — to give Saint Mary's a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the opening period.
 
Bethel netted the equalizer at 17:33 of the opening frame on an unassisted goal by Bri Stafine, and, less than two minutes later, the Royals took their first lead of the game when Kaylyn Forliti beat Cardinal goalie Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.), giving BU a 2-1 advantage after the opening 20 minutes.
 
Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) pulled the Cardinals even at 6:44 of the second period, off assists from Moser — her second of the night — and Delaney Wolf (Bismarck, N.D.), and the two teams would remain deadlock heading into the game's final 20-minute period.
 
Neither team found the back of the net in the third period — and it appeared as if the game would end in a stalemate, only to have BU's Courtney Johnston beat Ziakas with 1:03 remaining to give the Royals the victory.
 
Ziakas finished with 25 saves — including 12 in the second period — for the Cardinals, while Bethel goalie Mallory Tidona kicked out 19 of Saint Mary's 21 shots on goal.
 
The Cardinals (2-6-1 MIAC, 5-9-2 overall) and Royals (3-6-0 MIAC, 5-11-0 overall) head to the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., for the second game of their two-game conference series on Saturday. Opening face-off is set for 2 p.m.