courtesy of the MIAC

WINONA, Minn. -- The 2014-15 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Women's Hockey Playoffs opened Thursdaywith the No. 4 vs. No. 5 quarterfinal game. The home team - fourth-seeded Saint Mary's - had plenty to cheer about after one period, but No. 5- seeded Bethel surged ahead in the second and blew it open in the third to advance to Saturday's semifinals.

The Royals (14-9-3), down 1-0 after one period, scored the game's final seven goals en route to a dominant 7-1 victory Thursdaynight in Winona, Minn. Bethel was led by two-goal games from Kathryn Larson and Caroline Kivisto and the team improved to 14-9-3. The Cardinals (11-12-3) couldn't sustain the momentum after grabbing the game's first lead, and saw their great season come to a close with a final record of 11-12-3. 
| PLAYOFF HOME PAGE | BRACKET |

The Bethel win creates a familiar final four in the MIAC Playoff bracket. The Royals now join top-seeded Gustavus, No. 2 St. Thomas and No. 3 Concordia in Saturday's semifinals games. This marks the fifth season in a row the same four teams have comprised the MIAC Playoff semifinal field.

NO. 4 SAINT MARY'S 1, NO. 5 BETHEL 7 | Box Score |
The Cardinals gave their home crowd something to cheer about early, as they took a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period. Mackenzie Klimek got SMU on the board 11:57 into the game, with an assist going to Molly Abraham. That's where the score stayed into the first intermission. However, the tide would soon turn in dramatic fashion.

Bethel seized control in the second period with a pair of goals in the first seven minutes. Lindsay Burman tied the game 3:00 into the second with the Royals' first goal of the night on an assist from Erin Harper. Then, just 3:15 later, Bethel grabbed its first lead on a Megan O'Brian goal with assists going to Kathryn Larson and Natalie Simons.

It turned out the Royals were just getting started. They slammed the door on their quarterfinal win with five more goals in the third period to close out the 7-1 victory. Larson scored her two goals in the first five minutes of the period, then Kivisto struck with her two scores sandwiched around a Lauren Kolak score to give Bethel a statement win to open the postseason.

Larson and Burman each had three-point nights, as Larson had two goals and an assist and Burman had a goal and two helpers. Eight different Royals scored at least one point in the win with Kivisto (two goals) and Harper (two assists) also enjoying multi-point efforts. Michelle Klimstra shook off her early hiccup and earned the win in goal, shutting out Saint Mary's over the final two periods. Klimstra made 13 saves and allowed just the one goal in the win.

Saint Mary's goalie Tori Hermann made 22 saves in the loss, but allowed all seven Bethel goals and took the loss in net. Klimek's goal and Abraham's assist accounted for the Cardinals' two points, and Kassie Lien led the team with four shots on goal. Saint Mary's was 0-for-3 on the power play, while Bethel was 2-for-6, and the Royals held a 29-14 edge in shots on goal.

FAMILIAR SEMIFINALS SET
No. 1 Gustavus (19-4-2) will meet Bethel in on semifinal Saturday at Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn. In the other semifinal, which will also be played Saturday, No. 3 Concordia (10-11-3) will visit No. 2 St. Thomas (12-9-4) at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn. Both of Saturday's semifinals will start at 2 p.m. Each of Saturday's matchups features teams that split their regular-season series, so the semifinal showdowns offer a fitting rubber match of the MIAC's top four teams.

The two semifinal winners will meet the following Saturday, March 7, on the home ice of the top remaining seed with the MIAC Playoff title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament on the line.
The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2014-15 MIAC Women's Hockey Playoffs, containing schedules, links and information on each of the five teams in the field. Throughout the tournament, the page will be updated with scores, stats, updated schedules and more. The MIAC also has an interactive bracket that help fans follow the action in bracket format as the Playoffs progress.

Fans can also track the MIAC Playoff action on the MIAC Scoreboard or the MIAC mobile app, which is a free download for both Apple and Android devices. Connect throughout the tournament on social media through the MIAC's Facebook page or Twitter and Instagram accounts, using the hashtags MIACWH and MIACPlayoffs.2014-15 MIAC Women's Hockey Playoffs - Schedule

| Interactive Bracket |

Quarterfinal: Thursday, Feb. 26 - 7 p.m.
No. 5 Bethel 7, No. 4 Saint Mary's 1 | Box Score |

Semifinals: Saturday, Feb. 28 - 2 p.m.
No. 5 Bethel at No. 1 Gustavus | St. Peter, Minn. | Live Video | Live Stats |
No. 3 Concordia at No. 2 St. Thomas | Mendota Heights, Minn. | Live Video | Live Stats |

Championship: Saturday, March 7 - Time: TBA
Lowest remaining seed at Highest remaining seed | Location: TBA |