By EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
WINONA, Minn. — It was a high-intensity Friday evening as the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's women's hockey team entertained St. Olaf in the Cardinals' final regular-season home game at Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
Not only was it the Cardinals' final home game, but it was also Senior Night for the team's six seniors—and, to top it all off, the Cardinals needed a win to remain in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoff contention.
 
And much to the delight of head coach Greg Moore, the Cardinals played well under pressure, blanking the visiting Oles 4-0 to keep those post-season hopes alive.
 
But the Cardinals' work is far from over if they hope to be playing past Saturday's regular-season finale.
 
The Cardinals head to Northfield, Minn., for Saturday's rematch against St. Olaf sitting in sixth place, two points behind Concordia for the fifth and final MIAC Playoff spot. In order for the Cardinals to punch their post-season ticket, Saint Mary's must:
 
Either A: Beat the Oles—and Concordia loses to Augsburg or Bethel loses to St. Catherine.
 
Or B: Tie St. Olaf—and Bethel loses to St. Catherine.
 
Anya Hafiz (Woodbury. Minn.) got an already lively crowd even more excited with a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar six minutes into the first period, but it was the Oles who would turn up the offensive, landing seven consecutive shots on Cardinal goaltender Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.).
 
With Corcoran keep the Ole offense at bay, the Cardinals final broke the scoreless deadlock, as Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) dangled her way past two defenders—and St. Olaf goaltender Mae Moris—to easily send the puck into an empty net and get the Cardinals on the board at 11:49. Molly Abraham (Sterling Heights, Mich.)—one of Saint Mary's six graduating seniors—collected the assist, as the Cardinals held that 1-0 advantage through the remainder of the game's opening 20 minutes.
 
And Abraham's first-period assist was just the tip of the Senior Night senior highlights for the Cardinals.
 
Fellow seniors Kayla Pierson (Sherwood, Ill.) and Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) got into the action early in the second period, as Pierson redirected a shot by Cwik to extend the Cardinals' lead to 2-0 at 4:58.
 
Clinging to their two-goal advantage taking the ice for the third period, the Cardinals got a little breathing room when Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) roofed a shot past Moris off a pass from Moser at 6:23 of the third period.
The Oles pulled Moris in the game's final three minutes in a final attempt to get themselves on the board, and Ryan made them pay with her second goal of the game—an empty-net tally off a pass from Cwik—at 19:46 to ice the win.
 
Corcoran notched 22 saves for her first collegiate shutout in goal for the Cardinals, while Moris had 28 for the Oles.
 
To secure a MIAC playoff berth, the Cardinals primarily need to outpace the Bethel Royals, who were tied in MIAC points with the Cardinals coming into Friday's matches. The Royals' 2-1 defeat of Saint Catherine University Friday leaves the Royals and the Cardinals as deadlocked as before.
 
The Cardinals will discover their fate Saturday after the second of their two-game series with the Oles. Game 2 is slated for 3 p.m. at Northfield (Minn.) Ice Arena.