It was hockey every day this summer for St. Thomas sophomore center Cara Sajevic as she looked to improve on her offensive production after scoring four goals in 36 games her freshman season. “Working out and shooting pucks in the garage as often as I could,” the Shoreview native said. It hasn’t taken long for that work to start paying off. Sajevic scored a pair of goals on Friday to give her three in three games as the St. Thomas women’s hockey team beat the Minnesota State Mavericks 4-3 at St. Thomas Ice Arena to open WCHA play. “I thought Cara was our best player on the ice today,” said St. Thomas coach Joel Johnson after the Tommies improved to 3-0. “I was super excited that she was rewarded on the stat sheet for what we see on the bench.” Sajevic, who was an offensive standout at Gentry Academy, said she was disappointed she wasn’t able to contribute more offensively last season. “It was a change to try to learn to be more defensive,” she said. “But after last year, I feel like I can handle it. Play defense, don’t let goals up and then go on the attack.” The Tommies also got another strong game from freshman right winger Chloe Boreen, the younger sister of former Gophers and PWHL Minnesota standout Abigail Boreen. Boreen, who was named WCHA Freshman of the Week after the Tommies’ pair of wins against Post, had two assists and made her presence felt from beginning to end. Johnson said he singled her out in the dressing room after the game for playing a way few freshman can play. “She’s got to figure out how to play in the defensive zone, she has to learn how to do all the little things,” Johnson said, “But there’s the tenacity, the effort on the puck. I think she wants to beat everybody she plays against. “That’s something when you can harness it and move it in the direction of our team, you can’t replace it. You’re talking about epic effort.” The Tommies dressed only nine forwards due to injuries, and it figures to be that way for the immediate future. “I look at it as a positive,” Johnson said. “Nobody’s worried about who’s going next. If I was a forward, I would love to play with nine.” Sajevic gave the Tommies a 1-0 lead at 11:18 of the first period when she scored on a wrist shot from the slot. Rylee Bartz made it 2-0 just over three minutes later off a feed from Boreen. The Tommies took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission after the Mavericks scored at 16:34. Sajevic scored a huge goal at 8:27 of the second period. The Mavericks had the Tommies hemmed in their own zone for an extended stretch looking to tie the game. But Sajevic corralled a clearing pass behind the MSU defense and scored on a breakaway. The Mavericks made it a 3-2 game at 16:45, but 32 seconds later, defenseman Nicole Vallario took a centering pass from Boreen and stuff the puck in the net from in tight. With their goaltender pulled, the Mavericks scored at 17:49, but the Tommies limited their opportunities the rest of the way. “The most important part is that I thought we had really good veteran presence,” Johnson said of the finish. “And for the younger players to commit to, ‘OK, it’s 4-2, then 4-3 — we should win.’ And I thought they did a great job.” The Tommies, who play in Mankato on Saturday, have their first winning streak of three or more games since opening last season with four non-conference victories. “The league we play in is so tough that it’s hard to put wins together,” Johnson said. “There’s also that part of coaching where it’s hard to learn how to win. We’re getting there.” Related Articles College Sports | Guggemos hoping to follow family footsteps after transfer from Gophers to St. Thomas College Sports | Expected to finish last, Gophers’ Ben Johnson pushes back on Big Ten basketball preseason poll College Sports | Gophers football at UCLA: Keys to game, how to watch and who has edge College Sports | Gophers football: 1962 Rose Bowl was a program pinnacle but came after protests and trash talk College Sports | Gophers transfer guard Tyler Cochran has surgery, out until December