WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's women's hockey team (6-7-2, 2-5-2) came up just short in a back-and-forth MIAC matchup against Saint Benedict (11-2-3, 6-1-2) on Friday night, falling 5–4 despite converting three times on the power play.
The Cardinals erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to draw even, but the Bennies answered late to secure the win.
Reese Heitzman powered the Cardinal offense with two goals and an assist, firing eight shots on goal. Sophia Paduano added a pair of power-play tallies and finished with seven shots, while Celia Midtbo played a key role in transition with three assists and three blocked shots.
Saint Mary's controlled possession early in the opening period, generating chances from Paduano and Mikayla Vasilevich, but the Bennies' defense held firm. A tripping penalty midway through the period gave Saint Benedict its first power-play opportunity and converted at 13:57 to put the visitors on the board.
The Cardinals earned a late power play of their own, but were unable to capitalize, heading into the first intermission trailing 1–0.
Saint Benedict added to its lead early in the second period when they scored just 39 seconds in. The Bennies then made it 3–0 with a short-handed goal but Saint Mary's responded quickly.
Paduano buried a power-play goal at 17:04 to get the Cardinals on the board but the Bennies responded and extended the lead to 4–1 at 13:24. Saint Mary's showed its resilience once again, as Paduano struck on the power play at 4:00 to close the gap to 4–2 heading into the final period.
In the hockey world, being up two goals is the scariest place to be.
The Cardinals stormed back in the third behind Heitzman, who scored twice in just under two minutes to even the game. She netted a power-play goal at 15:50, assisted by Midtbo, and followed with an even-strength tally at 14:05 to tie the score at 4–4.
Saint Benedict had the final answer, however, and found the back of the net at the 1:40 mark to break the tie. Saint Mary's pushed for an equalizer in the closing moments, but the Bennies held on for the 5–4 victory.
The Cardinals will have a shot at the Bennies again tomorrow as they close out the weekend at home at 3:00 p.m.
