It took the Saints (16-2) half of the opening period to find the back of the net, but once they did, they found it on repeat. Emma Theriault started the goal streak, then Kristina Cornelio re-directed a Izzy Frenette point shot on the power play just over a minute later.

“It starts the momentum,” St. Dom’s coach Paul Gosselin said. “We tend to be a little bit nervous and a little slow start, but once a couple shifts get through and we survive, we start getting out legs moving and we do well.”

Frenette scored a goal of her own with just under five minutes to play in the first, and Callie Samson closed out the first-period scoring 50 seconds later.

The five goals came in a span of seven shots and 5:12 of game time, and the Saints outshot the Blue Devils (10-7-1) 14-5 in the first period.

“We were fragile in the sense that we lost 7-0 last time. I told the team we got to take things in small steps in that regard,” Blue Devils coach Ron Dumont said. “Tonight I wanted them to compete. I wanted to stay as close as we could. Do better than the last time. It just kind of fell apart again.”

The well ran dry for the Saints in the second period, but not before Theriault struck once again. Cornelio fed her freshman classmate to make it 5-0 less than three minutes into the frame.

Blue Devils goalie Meagan Gosselin played a part in the downward trend of goals in the second, stopping 13 of 14 shots, including some requiring a high degree of difficulty.

“She’s been solid for us,” Dumont said.

The goals started flowing again for the Saints in the third. Bugsy Hammerton scored a shorthanded goal less than five minutes in, and Frenette scored three minutes later.

Tia Rotolico, the lone senior for St. Dom’s playing in her final regular-season home game, scored with 32 seconds left.

“I think that, to me, was the nicest one,” Gosselin said of Rotolico’s goal. “She’s just been a great asset over the four years, and to see her go out like this … hats off to her.”

Hammerton rounded out the scoring with 10 seconds left, giving the Saints a state-high 143 goals this season.

Gosselin was more impressed by the lack of goals his team gave up. Payton Winslow secured her eighth shutout of the season, including two apiece against St. Dom’s biggest rivals (the Blue Devils and Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland).

“We’ve been working in the last week more defensively,” Gosselin said. “Our goal tonight was to have a goose egg, and we got that.”

Dumont called his team’s regular-season finale another learning experience for a team that has a relative lack of it.

“With (St. Dom’s) — you’re never going to be perfect — but you got to be right on. You got to play your best game,” Dumont said. “We needed to play our best game to even stay close or even be in the neighborhood, and that didn’t happen.”

wkramlich@sunjournal.com