MINNEAPOLIS – Emily Cronkhite (SO, Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) and Nora Stepan (FY, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) scored goals for the Augsburg University women's hockey team, but the Auggies dropped a 4-2 decision to visiting Saint Mary's University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series-opening game on Friday evening.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Saint Mary's 4, Augsburg 2
LOCATION: Ed Saugestad Rink, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 2-4-1 overall (1-1-1 MIAC), Saint Mary's 1-6-0 overall (1-2-0 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Augsburg cut the lead to 2-1 as Cronkhite scored her third goal of the season, one-timing a pass in front by Kennedy Stein (JR, Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest HS). Cronkhite stole a pass in the Auggie end and passed the puck forward to Stein, starting a 2-on-1 break.
• The Auggies tied the game at 2-2 just 44 seconds into the third period, as Stepan scored on a wrister from the right faceoff circle, off a cross-ice feed from the left point by Cronkhite. Sydney Rydel (JR, Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake HS) received the second assist.
• Saint Mary's took the lead back just 41 seconds after Stepan's goal, and added an insurance goal at the 13:13 mark of the third period.
• Augsburg outshot Saint Mary's by a 41-23 margin in the game. Chloe Stockinger (JR, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) had 19 saves in net for the Auggies.
• Cronkhite had eight shots on-goal in the game, while Stein and Jenna Gerold (SR, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS) had six shots each.

FOR THE FOES
• Teagan Phillips and Taverie Sherner scored the first two goals of the game for the Cardinals, with Sidney Polzin and Allie Urlaub scoring the final two goals.
• Jordan Keeley had 39 saves in goal for the win for Saint Mary's.

UP NEXT
• The teams complete the MIAC series on Saturday (11/19) at 2 p.m. in Winona, Minn.