vs.
Saint Mary's Cardinals   0-0-0 Overall		UW-Eau Claire Blugolds   1-0-0 Overall

Live In-Game Statistics

Last Action: Today's game is the season-opener for the Cardinals, who are coming off a 5-15-3 season a year ago. … UW-Eau Claire, meanwhile, kicked off its season on Friday, beating Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Bethel 3-1.

Last Meeting: UW-Eau Claire picked up a pair of nonconference wins against the Cardinals a year ago. The Blugolds took advantage of three third-period SMU penalties — scoring on all three — as UW-Eau Claire spoiled the Cardinals' season opener with a 4-0 victory on Nov. 10. UW-EC then completed the sweep, erupting for three first-period goals, then held off a late SMU rally to beat the Cardinals 3-1.

All-Time Series Record: UW-Eau Claire has won the last five meetings between the two teams, and currently holds an 8-6-0 record all-time against the Cardinals.

Cardinal Notes: The Cardinals return three of their top four scorers from a year ago, led by MIAC honorable-mention selection Katie Cachey (Orland Park, Ill.), who scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points. … Ingrid Klockars (Wheaton, Ill. / 7 goals, 2 assists, 9 points) and Jamie Henneman (Countryside, Ill. / 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points) also return for the Cardinals, who scored 44 goals a year ago — including 30 by players returning for another go-around this season. … The Cardinals missed the MIAC playoffs a year ago, marking the first time in the playoff's eight-year history that SMU was not among the conference's five post-season teams. … With a 5-3 loss and a 3-3 tie vs. Augsburg in the teams' final MIAC series of the season, the Cardinals closed out the year winless in their last six games (0-5-1). SMU's season-ending 3-3 tie did, however, snap, the team's season-high five-game losing streak. … SMU allowed three of more goals in 17 of its 23 games — including the Cardinals' last nine straight. … SMU?also surrendered three or more goals in 12 of their 13 losses. … Offensively, the Cardinals scored two goals or less in 14 of their 23 games. … The Cardinals won just two of 12 road games last season (2-8-2). … The Cardinals ended the season winless when their opponent scored first (0-11-2). … The Cardinals were outscored in every period — including 33-11 in the second period and 32-18 in the third. …The Cardinals scored just nine powerplay goals, while their opponents netted 39 of its 82 goals with the man-advantage. … SMU's 44 goals, 53 assists and 97 points were the fewest recorded in the program's 10-year history.

Blugold Notes: UW-Eau Claire, coming off a 12-14-0 overall record a year ago — including a 9-9-0 mark in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association — has been picked to finish fourth in the NCHA this season, according to the NCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll. … The Blugolds return 12 letterwinners of last year's team, including First-Team All-NCHA selection Michelle Stohr and honorable-mention All-NCHA pick Kristen Faber. … This year's 13-player UW-EC squad includes just two seniors and two juniors. … UW-Eau Claire returns its top eight scorers — led by Faber (13 goals, 9 assists, 22 points) — with all eight recording eight or more points a year ago. … The Blugolds scored 59 goals a year ago, 54 of which were scored by this year's returners. … Danika Porter appeared in 15 of the Blugolds' 26 games in goal as a freshman a year ago, posting a 1.86 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage.