WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team hosted the second annual Minnesota Special Hockey Event during the Cardinals' nonconference game against UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 7.
 
And what an event it turned out to be — including a thrilling, 2-1 overtime victory by the Cardinals.
 
The Minnesota Wild Special Hockey Rochester, the Cardinals' "adopted" team, were in attendance — cheering on the Cardinals against the Pointers, watching warm-ups from the Saint Mary's bench, scrimmaging against the Cardinals, and enjoying a pizza party.
 
"Our players have been volunteering with the Rochester Special Hockey Team, helping with their hockey practices two Sundays a month, and each year we host the team on campus for a 'Special Hockey Day,' " said Saint Mary's women's hockey coach Sarah Murray, noting that funding for the event came from the President's Office for Character and Virtue initiatives in athletics. "This year was really fun, because not only did our players autograph pictures for the special hockey players, but their coaches also brought their team picture, so our players were able to get the special hockey team's autographs.
 
"This event is so good for both our team and the special hockey players — and we are already booked for next season," Murray added. "We are still hopeful that we will be able to start our own special hockey team out of our rink, but for the next few years, we are focused on helping the Rochester program grow."