By Riley Schmidt, UWEC Sports Information
WINONA, Minn. (Blugolds.com) – After the holiday break, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's hockey team were back on the ice to battle Saint Mary's of Minnesota. After an offensive battle, the game ended in a tie of 1-1.
The first forty minutes of play saw both the Blugolds and Cardinals with strong offense. Eau Claire came out with a barrage of shots against the Cardinal's goaltender, Ashley Corcoran, ending the second period with 20 shots on goal against St. Mary's 12.
The third period saw a lot of playing time on the Cardinal's end of the ice, as Eau Claire set up play after play of impressive stick work. At 16:22, Lexi Wilson (Fr.- Eagan, MN) was assisted by Mariah Czech (Jr.-Andover, Min.) and found the back of the net, bringing the Blugolds to a 1-0 lead with just minutes left in the game.
Saint Mary's hadn't given up just yet and came back with a rebuttal goal at 17:53, tying up the score and sending the teams into overtime. Despite the Blugolds high energy in overtime, the Cardinal's goal at the end of the third period solidified the final 1-1 tie.
Paige Turner (Sr.-Iron River, WI/Duluth East) was back in goal for the Blugolds tonight and had a total of 18 saves.
Eau Claire (5-6-4) battles St. Mary's (4-4-2) again tomorrow night at Hobbs Ice Arena at 7 p.m.