EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — On paper, the secret to beating fifth-ranked UW-Eau Claire seemed pretty cut-and-dried: Stop Sophie Rausch.
 
Unfortunately for the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team, the game plan wasn't quite that simple.
 
Rausch entered Saturday's game against the Cardinals leading the nation in scoring — having netted two goals in each of the Blugolds' first three games.
 
And Saint Mary's did something the Blugolds' first three opponents couldn't — shut Rausch out.
 
The Cardinals couldn't say the same about Sade Long, however, as Long had a goal and an assist in a 27-second span in the first period in leading the Blugolds to a 3-0 nonconference win over Saint Mary's at Hobbs Ice Arena.
 
The Cardinals, facing their second nationally ranked team in as many days — having dropped a 5-2 decision to UW-River Falls Friday evening — held the Blugolds at bay for the majority of the first period, and almost headed into the locker room deadlocked at 0-0.
 
Almost.
 
The Blugolds scored two goals in 27 seconds over the final 1:45 of the opening frame — the first by Eden Gruber, assisted by Long, and the second by Long herself — to put the Cardinals in a two-goal hole after 20 minutes of play.
 
A hole the Cardinals were unable to climb out of.
 
After a scoreless second period — in which SMU goalie Celeste Rimstad (Richfield, Minn.) and her UW-EC counterpart, Stephanie Martin each stopped all six shots they faced — the Blugolds would tack on an insurance goal late in the third period off the stick of Samantha Scherling to seal the victory.
 
Rimstad finished with a career-high 26 saves in her second collegiate start for the Cardinals, while Martin kicked out all 22 shots she faced in recording the shutout.
 
The Cardinals (0-4-0 overall) are back in action next weekend, when they kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a pair of games against Hamline. SMU will host the Pipers at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday, before the teams head to TRIA Rink in St. Paul, Minn., for the 2 p.m. rematch the following afternoon.
  Read Full Article