EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — To close the weekend, the Saint Mary's women's hockey team (MN) (6-6-0) ran into a tough test Saturday, falling 7-0 to ninth-ranked Wis.-Eau Claire (12-5-0). 

The Blugolds set the tone early with three first-period goals and finished the night with a decisive edge in shots, 43-15.

The game commenced with Saint Mary's securing the initial faceoff through Teagan Phillips, setting an early competitive tone. Despite efforts, including a missed shot by Mikayla Vasilevich at 18:43 and a blocked attempt by Celia Midtbo, the Cardinals were unable to convert opportunities into goals.

The Blugolds continued to apply pressure in the second, scoring twice more to push the lead to 5-0 despite steady effort and shot attempts from the Cardinals. 

Saint Mary's battled throughout the third period, winning key faceoffs and earning power-play chances, but again couldn't find the net.

The Blugolds capped the scoring with two third-period goals to seal the 7-0 win.

The Cardinals will jump back into conference action next week, hosting Gustavus Adolphus on Friday, Jan. 16, for a 7:00 p.m. game time.