WINONA, Minn. — After scoring her first collegiate hat trick in the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team's season-opening 5-3 win over Marian, Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.) had a less productive outing in the Cardinals' showdown with St. Norbert Saturday afternoon.
 
One goal less.
 
Wendt followed up her three-goal effort against Marian by scoring the Cardinals' first—and last—goals in their 3-1 nonconference victory over St. Norbert at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
When the Cardinals and Green Knights squared off a year ago, the two teams combined to score seven goals in the third period—including five in the final 1:33—in a 5-4 Cardinal victory.
 
There would be no late-game fireworks, but the end result was the same—much to the delight of Cardinal coach Greg Moore.
 
Wendt did not waste any time picking up where she left off the previous evening, scoring goal No. 4 on the season—a power-play tallied assisted by Mandy Sailor ()—just 3:36 into the opening period.
 
St. Norbert answered just over two minutes later, but that would be the only puck the Green Knights would get by Cardinal freshman Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.), who was making her first collegiate start between the pipes.
 
Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) pushed the Saint Mary's lead to 2-1 with her first of the season at 14:10 of the first period, taking a feed from Mady Bodick (Savage, Minn.) and lifting a shot past SNC goalie Leigh Grall.
 
The game would remain a 2-1 nailbiter until six minutes into the third period, when Wendt tipped a Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) slap shot past Grall for her fifth goal in two games—equaling the goal production of her first two seasons combined.
 
And with Ziakas playing like a veteran, the two-goal lead was more than enough for the Cardinals to collect their second win in as many nights.
 
Ziakas finished with 28 saves in her debut—including nine in the first and third periods, and 11 in the second. Grall, meanwhile, also posted 28 saves for the Green Knights (0-1-0 overall).
 
The Cardinals (2-0-0)—who have now won their first two games of the season for the second straight year—are now off until Nov. 11-12, when they kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against St. Thomas. Saint Mary's will travel to St. Thomas Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn., for a 7 p.m. game on Nov. 11, before returning home to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for the 2 p.m. rematch the following day.