WINONA, Minn. — In a hard-fought battle that stretched into overtime and a seven-round shootout, the Saint Mary's women's hockey team (6-6-1, 2-4-1) came up just short in a 2-1 shootout loss to No.11 Gustavus Adolphus (6-7-1, 3-3-1) on Friday night.
The Cardinals and Gusties were locked in a 1-1 stalemate through regulation and overtime, with Saint Mary's goaltender Celeste Rimstad making 31 saves to keep the game even until the final moments.
Sophia Paduano provided the Cardinals' lone goal and was dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 66 percent of her draws. Between the pipes, Rimstad turned in a standout performance, allowing just one goal through 65 plus minutes of play.
Saint Mary's set the tone early in the first period with a disciplined defensive effort and several key stops by Rimstad. Despite sustained pressure from the Gusties, the Cardinals broke through late in the frame when Paduano scored an unassisted breakaway goal at 18:08 to give the team a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
The Cardinals continued to battle defensively in the second period, blocking shots and limiting quality chances. Gustavus finally evened the score at 7:55 on a goal. Rimstad came up with several clutch saves down the stretch to keep the game tied at 1-1 after two periods.
Saint Mary's generated pressure in the third period, led by chances from Keeley Callander and Paduano, but Gusties goaltender Lily Timmons turned aside every opportunity. The Cardinals earned a power play with just over two minutes remaining, yet neither team could find the go-ahead goal, sending the contest to overtime.
Overtime mirrored the rest of the night—fast-paced and physical.
Callander won the opening faceoff, and the Cardinals created several scoring chances, while Gustavus Adolphus nearly ended it when a shot rang off the pipe and with six seconds remaining, it was waved off.
With no goals scored, the game advanced to a shootout.
The shootout stretched to seven rounds, with both goaltenders making save after save. Rimstad denied multiple attempts to keep Saint Mary's alive, but the Gusties eventually scored the deciding goal, giving them the shootout victory.
Despite the loss, the Cardinals gained a point in conference. The team will face the Gusties again tomorrow in St. Peter for a 2:00 p.m. matchup.
