WINONA, Minn. — There were plenty of firsts for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team Friday evening.
 
• First game of the 2017-18 season.
 
• First collegiate hat trick.
 
• First collegiate multiple-point game—in her first collegiate game.
 
• First game as a collegiate head coach.
 
And most importantly—first win of the season.
 
Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.) scored the Cardinals' first three goals to lead Saint Mary's to a season-opening 5-3 nonconference win over Marian at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena—and earn first-year head coach Greg Moore his first collegiate coaching win.
 
The Cardinals spotted the visiting Sabres a 1-0 lead , as Nicole Nemi scored on a 5-on-3 Marian power play midway through the first period.
 
Wendt broke the ice for Saint Mary's with 19 seconds remaining in the opening frame, breaking down the left side a rifling a shot over the glove of Sabre goalie Lindsey Strainis.
 
Wendt did not wait long to score her second of the game, netting a power play tally just 3:07 into the second period. Saint Mary's maintained that one-goal cushion over the final 16:53 of the period—and went into the second intermission boasting a 30-6 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Marian once again pulled even at 4:23 of the third on a power play goal by Morgan Bolin, but Wendt answered less than two minutes later, completing her first collegiate hat trick—and the Cardinals' first three-goal game since Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) scored three times against Hamline on Jan. 20, 2017—off an assist from Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.), who finished her first collegiate game with a pair of helpers.
 
The scoring fest continued, as Marin's Jill Schneider and Saint Mary's Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) scored two minutes apart before the final stanza was half over, while Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) closed out the five-goal third period with an empty net goal with 26 seconds remaining to seal the Cardinals' season-opening victory.
 
Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.) finished with seven saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Strainis stopped 33 of the 37 shots she faced.
 
The Cardinals (1-0-0 overall) are right back in action on Saturday, hosting St. Norbert in a 2 p.m. nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.