MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's women's hockey team (9-14-2, 5-11-2) closed out its 2025-26 season Saturday with a hard-fought 2-1 loss to No. 2 Augsburg University (21-3-1, 15-2-1).

The Cardinals struck first in the opening period, but Augsburg answered with goals in the first and second frames to secure the narrow victory. Despite being outshot 29-20, Saint Mary's stayed within striking distance all afternoon behind a strong 27-save performance in net.

Kenzie Meland netted the lone goal for the Cardinals, her third of the season,  finishing with four shots on goal. Celeste Rimstad turned aside 27 shots in a steady performance between the pipes, while Kylee Paul and Celia Midtbo anchored the defensive effort with four blocked shots apiece.

The opening period featured heavy early pressure from Augsburg, but Rimstad stood tall to keep the contest scoreless through the initial surge. The Cardinals capitalized late in the frame when Meland scored unassisted at the 2:04 mark, knotting the game at 1-1 heading into the intermission.

Saint Mary's continued its defensive battle in the second period, successfully killing off a power play and limiting high-quality chances. However, Augsburg broke through at 12:34 to take a 2-1 lead. The Cardinals generated chances of their own, including a late power-play opportunity, but were unable to convert before the horn.

In the third, Saint Mary's pushed for the equalizer. Ella Hennes won the opening faceoff to set the tone, and Mikayla Vasilevich came up with key blocked shots to keep it a one-goal game. Shots from Reese Heitzman and Leah Parker tested Augsburg goaltender Kayla Simonson, but she came up with timely saves. 

The Cardinals pulled the goalie late and used a timeout in the final minutes, yet could not find the tying goal.

With the 2-1 result, the Cardinals wrapped up their season with a gritty performance against one of the nation's top teams, battling until the final horn in their last game of the year.