WINONA, Minn. — It's been a long time since the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team swept past St. Catherine in the teams' two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series.
 
Seventeen years, to be exact — dating back to a 3-1, 3-0 SMU sweep during the 2006-07 season.
 
That all changed on Saturday, when the Cardinals dusted off their brooms and followed up Friday's 4-0 win over the Wildcats with a 3-0 conference victory at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
Special teams proved to be extra-special for the Cardinals in their sweep-clinching victory over the Wildcats, getting back-to-back-to-back power-play goals — erasing an early 1-0, second-period SCU lead and giving Saint Mary's its fifth straight victory.
 
After a scoreless first period, in which Saint Mary's held a 10-5 edge in shots on goal, it was the Wildcats who would strike first, getting a goal from Lilly Gillespie just 3:41 into the middle frame.
 
That goal may have given St. Catherine the lead, but it also worked as a wake-up call for the Cardinal offense — which netted the equalizer on the first of SMU's three power-play tallies, this one coming off the stick of Sidney Polzin's (Burnsville, Minn.).
 
The two teams would remain deadlocked heading into the second intermission, only to have the Cardinals turn up the offensive heat over the game's final 20 minutes.
 
Sophia Paduano (Westby, Wis.) gave Saint Mary's the lead for good with power-play goal No. 2 4:15 into the third period and Celia Midtbo (Minneapolis, Minn.) provided an insurance tally — also on the power play — with 4:04 to play in regulation.
 
Celeste Rimstad (Richfield, Minn.) — who stopped all 18 shots she faced in recording her third shutout of the season on Friday – finished with 16 saves in Saturday's rematch.
 
Saint Mary's (7-3-0 MIAC, 12-4-0 overall) is back in action next weekend, with a pair of MIAC contests against Bethel. The Cardinals and Royals will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday at Bethel Arena in Blaine, Minn., before returning to the SMU Ice Arena for Saturday's 2 p.m. rematch.
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