WINONA, Minn. - The Saint Mary's women's hockey team (13-6) welcomed the No. 2 ranked UW-River Falls Falcons (17-3-2) on Tuesday night to wrap up their non-conference schedule. The Cardinals maintained a one-goal lead for more than half of the game, but ultimately ran out of steam and lost 3-2 in overtime.
 
Allie Urlaub and Mikayla Vasilevich led the Cardinals with one goal each in the outing. 
 
The Cardinals came out with great energy to begin the first period, keeping the game scoreless until 13:33, when the Falcons took advantage of a power play to take the lead heading into the intermission.
 
In the second period, Urlaub scored right away at 17:40, assisted by Anna Braun, bringing the Cardinals level with UW-River Falls. Later in the period, Vasilevich capitalized on a power play, scoring at 5:07 with an assist from Kenzie Meland, to give Saint Mary's a 2-1 lead. 
 
Celeste Rimstad played a significant role defensively, making several saves against UW-River Falls' attempts, ensuring her team maintained their advantage.
 
The Cardinals maintained their one-goal lead for most of the third period, with their defensive effort being unmatched. Though the Falcons had some chances, the defense stepped up when it mattered.
River Falls scored the sole goal of the period at 18:16 after Saint Mary's could not contain the top team for too long. The game was forced into overtime!
 
The overtime period began with the Falcons winning the initial faceoff.  Saint Mary's defense, anchored by Rimstad, effectively managed a series of shots on goal, recording several key saves, including attempts at 4:27, 1:37, and 0:44. 
 
At 2:44, Allie Urlaub secured a faceoff win for the Cardinals, marking a shift in control. Despite strong defensive efforts, the Falcons scored the game-winning goal with just 0:33 seconds left concluding the overtime with a 3-2 victory for UW-River Falls.

The ice arena was buzzing for Tuesday's top-seeded matchup. The Cardinals will be back on the ice this Friday, hosting Bethel for a 7 p.m. puck drop.