WINONA, Minn. — Defensively, the Saint Mary's University women's hockey earned high marks for its performance against Hamline Saturday evening.
 
After all, the Cardinals limited the high-powered Pipers — who had scored a combined 10 goals in its first two games — to just two goals.
 
Unfortunately for coach Sarah Murray, the marks weren't quite as high for the Cardinal offense, which continued to struggle to awaken from their early season hibernation.
 
Hamline scored twice in the game's opening period — and held off a late third-period Cardinal rally — in dealing Saint Mary's a 2-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.) was unbeatable heading into Saturday's contest with the Pipers, having not allowed a goal in 95:37 of action between the pipes — including a 65-minute, 35-save shutout against Concordia on Feb. 6.
 
And through the first nine minutes against HU, Ziakas — the reigning MIAC Athlete of the Week — was her usual impenetrable self.
 
That all changed at 9:32, however, as Emme Nelson scored the first of Hamline's two first-period goals — breaking Ziakas' shutout streak at 105:05, and giving the Pipers a 1-0 advantage.
 
Three minutes later, Hamline would push its lead to 2-0, as Madison Davis beat Ziakas for her second goal of the season.
 
After a scoreless second period — thanks to 12 saves by Ziakas — the Cardinals' offense finally made some noise in the game's final 20 minutes.
 
Jordan Modjeski (South Lyon, Mich.) got the Cardinals on the board with her first of the season — and SMU's first since the 4:45 mark of their season-opening 3-1 loss to St. Scholastica, a span of nearly 157 scoreless minutes — to cut the Piper lead to 2-1 with 3:19 remaining in regulation.
 
Modjeski's late, third-period spark was not quite enough, however, as Hamline held the Cardinals at bay over the final three-plus minutes to seal its third straight win of the season.
 
Ziakas finished with 23 saves in goal for the Cardinals, while HU goalie Ava Bailey kicked out 20 of the 21 Saint Mary's shots she faced.
 
The Cardinals (0-1-1 MIAC, 0-2-1 overall) are back in action — and back on their home ice — on Wednesday, as they welcome Saint Benedict to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for a 5:30 p.m. nonconference matchup.