WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team, which has been off since picking up three of a possible four conference points against Hamline on Nov. 19-20, is back in action on Friday, hosting St. Catherine at the SMU Ice Arena in the first game of their two-game MIAC series. Puck drops at 7 p.m.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0-2 MIAC / 5-1-2 Overall) vs.
St. Catherine Wildcats (4-0-0 MIAC / 5-1-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals have been off since Nov. 20, when they got a third-period goal from Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) to break a 1-1 tie and lead the Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over Hamline at the SMU Ice Arena. The two teams had skated to a 1-1 tie a night earlier in St. Paul, Minn. St. Catherine, meanwhile, has also been off since Nov. 20, when they completed a two-game conference sweep of Augsburg with a 7-0 victory in St. Paul, Minn. The Wildcats had opened the weekend with a 5-0 win over the Auggies.

A Year Ago:
December 4, 2009: Jamie Henneman scored goals in the first and second periods, and Kaye Collier (Hibbing, Minn.) stopped all 23 shots she faced, as the Cardinals opened the two-game series with a 2-0 victory in St. Paul, Minn.

December 5, 2009: The Wildcats scored two goals in the game's final 20 minutes, erasing a 1-0 SMU lead and handing the Cardinals a 2-1 setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next: The same two teams will meet again Saturday, this time at Ridder Arena in St. Paul, Minn. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Tonight's game vs. St. Catherine is just the third home game of the season for the Cardinals. SMU is a perfect 2-0-0 on its home ice — beating UW-Eau Claire 4-1 and Hamline 2-1. … With their win and tie vs. Hamline on Nov. 19-20, the Cardinals have now collected three of a possible four points in each of their two conference series this season. … SMU's 1-1 tie vs. Hamline on Nov. 19 marked the second straight Friday night tie for the Cardinals, who had battled Concordia to a 3-3 deadlock on Nov. 12. … Dy-anna Stewart (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Stevie Fiek (Rochester, Minn.) and Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) accounted for SMU's three goals vs. Hamline. … It was the first goal of the season for both Stewart and Fiek, while Therrien's was her fifth of the season. … Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.), who leads the team in goals (6) and points (8), recorded her first collegiate hat trick on Nov. 13— scoring all three goals in the third period of SMU's 5-2 win over Concordia. … Five of Coolsaet's six goals have come in two games. The freshman forward recorded her first collegiate multiple-goal game with two goals in SMU's season-opening 5-0 win over Marian on Oct. 29. … After leading the team in goals with 12 a year ago, Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) has been held goalless for the first eight games this season — but the junior forward has recorded a team-high eight assists. … Seventeen of the Cardinals' 25 goals this season have come from freshmen. … Kaye Collier (Hibbing, Minn.), who stopped 34 of the 36 shots she faced in two games vs. Hamline, enters tonight's game vs. St. Catherine boasting a 1.26 goals-against-average and a .942 save percentage — not to mention a seven-save shutout in SMU's 5-0 season-opening win over Marian. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 12-6 in the third period. … SMU has scored first in six of its eight games, going 5-0-1. … The Cardinals opened the season with three straight wins. SMU's 3-0-0 start was its first since going 4-0-0 to open the 1999-2000 season — the program's second year of existence | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

St. Catherine Wildcats News and Notes:
The Wildcats enter their weekend series vs. Saint Mary's having won four straight — all four coming in conference play. … St. Catherine has outscored its opponents 19-1 during its current four-game winning streak. … The lone blemish on the Wildcats' record is a 4-1 setback against St. Norbert on Nov. 5. That loss also marked the only time this season St. Catherine has been held to less than three goals. … St. Catherine is a perfect 3-0 on the road this year. … SCU scored a season-high seven goals against Augsburg on Nov. 20. … Michaela Michaelson comes into tonight's game leading the team in goals (5) and points (9). She also shares the team lead in assists (4) with Meghan Lange, Cassie Rooney and Rachael Gasperetti. … Twelve different players have combined for St. Catherine's 29 goals, while 17 Wildcats have recorded at least one point. … Mel Gerten has started five of the team's six games in goal, compiling a 1.53 goals-against-average and a 921 save percentage. … St. Catherine is a perfect 5-0-0 when scoring the game's first goal | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics