WINONA, Minn. - On Saturday afternoon, the Saint Mary's women's hockey team (9-5) stunned fifth-ranked Gustavus Adolphus (10-4) with a 2-0 home victory, marking a thrilling bounce-back win. It was their first triumph over the Gusties since 2016!
Sophia Paduano led the Cardinals with a goal and an assist, totaling two points.
Reese Heitzman made her mark by scoring the game's opening goal. In net,
Magali Fillion played a pivotal role, recording 37 saves in her appearance and earning a shutout. This marked Fillion's third shutout of the season, solidifying her status as a defensive anchor for the team.
The first period saw the Cardinals focus on defense with
Magali Fillion making multiple saves against each Gusties' attempts. Despite two penalties against the Cardinals, including a slashing call on
Celia Midtbo at 3:50 and a roughing penalty on Paduano at 3:09, the team successfully prevented any goals during the power plays. Offensively, the Cardinals managed several shots, with
Teagan Phillips and
Allie Urlaub leading the attempts, though they were unable to convert by the end of the period, which concluded with a score of 0-0.
Despite several missed opportunities in the second period, Heitzman scored the opening goal at 15:34, assisted by Urlaub and Paduano, marking her eighth goal of the season. The period concluded with the Cardinals keeping their lead intact, aided by key defensive plays and saves from goalie Fillion.
Saint Mary's came out strong in the third period, with Midtbo firing two shots in the opening minute, both of which were stopped by Gustavus Adolphus' goalkeeper. Despite penalties on
Anna Braun and Paduano that gave Gustavus power-play opportunities, the Cardinals defense, led by Fillion, held firm, squashing several scoring chances to preserve the lead.
The game was sealed at 19:52 when Paduano netted an unassisted empty-net goal, securing a 2-0 victory for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals executed a flawless turnaround and will look to carry this momentum into next week. They return to action on Friday, January 24th, at Saint Benedict for the weekend series.
