WINONA, Minn. — The first period proved to be status quo for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team.
 
For the seventh time in as many games this season, the Cardinals did not allow a first-period goal—this time around, blanking UW-Eau Claire over the game's opening 20 minutes.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, there would be no repeat in the second or third periods, as UW-Eau Claire scored back-to-back goals two minutes apart midway through the second period, before adding a pair insurance goals in the final four minutes of the third in dealing Saint Mary's a 4-0 nonconference setback Saturday at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
After failing to score in the first period—thanks in part to 11 saves by Saint Mary's goalie Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.)—the Blugolds broke the ice at 8:42 of the second period on a goal by Kelly Knetter. Just over a minute later, the UW-Eau Claire lead doubled, as Mariah Czech  beat Corcoran to make it 2-0.
 
The Blugolds made that two-goal lead stand up until late in the third, when Jaedyn Walz and Monica Sjodin scored three minutes apart to seal UW-Eau Claire's sixth win in nine games this season.
 
The Cardinals (3-3-1 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, traveling to Moorhead, Minn., for a pair of games against Concordia. Saint Mary's and CC will square off at 7 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center on Friday, before returning to the ice for a 2 p.m. matinee a day later.