RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The Saint Mary's women's hockey team (0-1-0) opened up the season with a tough test. The Cardinals traveled to face the No. 1-ranked UW-River Falls Falcons (1-0-0) on Friday evening for the season opener, where they fell 6-1.
The Falcons jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as they scored just 30 seconds into the game. Throughout the first period, the team played on their toes, playing defense against the Falcons as they had 16 shots on goal compared to the Cardinals' five. Reese Heitzman, Mollie Koch, and Keeley Callandar each had the team's best looks. The Falcons piled on two more goals, at the eighth minute of action and again at the 13th minute, to take a 3-0 lead heading into intermission.
The Cardinals anchored down and played an even second period with the Falcons. The teams each kept a clean sheet until the final seconds of the second period, when the Falcons extended the lead to 4-0.
Looking to make strides, Sophia Paduano netted the first goal of the season for the Cardinals off the faceoff to draw the game 5-1 at the 12:46 mark. The Falcons added one more to their tally just minutes later.
The Cardinals are excited to welcome the Falcons back home, where the team will hold its home opener at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
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Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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