WINONA, Minn. — It's amazing what one win can do to one's memory.

Three game losing streak? Forgotten.

Just one goal scored in six straight losses? Can't seem to recall that.

One win in the last seven games? Nope, doesn't ring a bell.

The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team wiped all that negativity out of their memory banks Wednesday evening, getting a pair of goals form Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) in beating Bethel 3-0.

"That was a good win for us," said SMU coach Duncan Ryhorchuk. "We needed a game like that — not only for morale, but also for the key two points in the standings.

"Everyone on this team knows we've been struggling to score goals lately, but they also knew it was just a matter of time before we'd break out of that slump," continued Ryhorchuk. "This win goes a long way toward getting us back on track – mentally and physically."

Kearns broke a 0-0 tie with a goal midway through the second period, and it stayed that way until the third, when Laura Mueller (St. Paul, Minn.) scored her third of the season to give SMU a 2-0 advantage. Kearns then closed out the scoring with less than five minutes remaining.

SMU's third-period fireworks were hardly needed, however, as Nikki Jung (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) stopped all 26 shots she faced in recording her third shutout of the season.

“We got that monkey off our backs,” Ryhorchuk said. “But now we have to keep it off — we can’t afford to relax, we’ve got to keep pushing to improve and get better heading down the stretch.”