BLAINE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team scored just two goals in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown against Bethel Friday evening.
 
But then, with a defense — spearheaded by goalie Celeste Rimstad (Richfield, Minn.) — as stingy as the Cardinals', two goals is more than enough.
 
The 13th-ranked Cardinals got a 20-save shutout from Celeste Rimstad (Richfield, Minn.) and an early first-period tally by Reese Heitzman (Hermantown, Minn.) and a late third-period goal by Kas Kingston (Black Diamond, Alberta) en route to a 2-0 win over the Royals — extending SMU's winning streak to seven straight.
 
SMU, which had not won seven consecutive games since the 2003-04 season — when the Cardinals won eight straight — has surrendered just six goals during its seven-game run, outscoring its opponents 30-6.
 
Heitzman got the Cardinals off and running, scoring her team-leading 14th goal of the season at the 7:43 mark of the opening period.
 
Despite outshooting BU 19-3, Heitzman — whose 14 goals are the most since Melissa Mondo netted 15 during the 2006-07 campaign — was the only player to light the lamp in the opening frame, as SMU headed to the locker room after 20 minutes clinging to that one-goal advantage.
 
Saint Mary's continued to pepper BU goalie Anna Hanson with 12 more shots in the second period, but the junior was up to the challenge, kicking out everything the Cardinals threw at her to keep it a 1-0 game with 20 minutes to play.
 
And the Cardinals maintained that slim one-goal cushion for the first 19 minutes of the third period, before Kingston gave SMU a bit of breathing room with an empty-net tally at 19:02.
 
Rimstad, who collected her second shutout in the last four games — and her fourth of the season — stopped all 20 shots she faced, including 10 in the third period. BU's Hanson, meanwhile, finished with 38 saves, as the Cardinals held a commanding 40-20 advantage in shots on goal.
 
The Cardinals (8-3-0 MIAC, 14-4-0 overall) will set their sights on a conference sweep of the Royals on Saturday, when the two teams head to the SMU Ice Arena for the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Puck drop is slated for 2 p.m.
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