WINONA, Minn. - The Saint Mary's women's hockey team (16-10) advanced to the MIAC Semifinal after a 3-2 victory over St. Olaf (12-13-1) on Wednesday night in the Quarterfinals. The atmosphere at the SMU Ice Arena was charged with energy, contributing to the home ice advantage.
With the win, the Cardinals will face No. 1 Augsburg at the Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Teagan Phillips,
Taverie Sherner, and
Reese Heitzman each scored one goal in the victory.
The Cardinals opened the first period and set a competitive tone early on taking early shots and playing defense. The Cardinals were unable to find the back of the net and the Oles capitalized on their opportunities, scoring the period's only goal at 5:27. The Cardinals goalkeeper
Celeste Rimstad made several saves to keep the game within reach.
The Cardinals came out of the break and became unstoppable. They capitalized on their offensive momentum with Phillips scoring at 15:53, assisted by
Sophia Paduano and
Kenzie Meland, tying the game.Â
Shortly after,
Reese Heitzman put them ahead with a goal at 15:06, followed by Sherner's goal at 10:37, assisted by Meland, establishing a 3-1 lead that would hold through the period.Â
The third period began with an early faceoff win by
Allie Urlaub for the Cardinals, but despite several attempts, including shots by
Anna Braun and Paduano, the team was unable to convert.Â
Rimstad was active in goal, making multiple saves on shots from St. Olaf, but a tripping penalty led to a power-play goal at 9:24 by St. Olaf, narrowing the lead to 3-2.Â
The Cardinals pressure proved relentless, preventing the Ole goalkeeper from being pulled, and they secured one final home victory!
Tickets for the Saint Mary's at Augsburg semifinal game will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. All tickets for the 2025 MIAC Playoffs will be sold and purchased online via
HomeTown Ticketing.
There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue. General admission adult tickets are $12 (plus HTT service charge). Student (with ID) tickets are $3 (plus HTT service charge), and children ages five and under are admitted free.