MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team hits the road for a Saturday rematch against St. Catherine. Puck drops at 4 p.m. at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.


The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0-3 MIAC / 5-1-3 Overall) vs.
St. Catherine Wildcats (4-0-1 MIAC / 5-1-1 Overall)

Last Night:
The Cardinals got goals from Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.), as SMU battled league-leading St. Catherine to a 2-2 MIAC tie at the SMU Ice Arena.

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 Cardinals are now off until Jan. 2-3, when they travel to Boston, Mass., to take part in the UMass-Boston Codfish Bowl Tournament. SMU opens with Trinity College at 1 p.m. on Jan. 2, and will face either UMass-Boston or Bowdoin on Jan. 3. St. Catherine, meanwhile, steps out of conference play for a 7:05 p.m. game at UW-River Falls next Saturday.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Friday's 2-2 tie vs. St. Catherine marked the third straight Friday that SMU has settled for a tie — the Cardinals also tied Concordia 3-3 on Nov. 12 and Hamline 1-1 on Nov. 19. … Friday's game was just the third home game of the season for the Cardinals, who improved to 2-0-1 on their home ice. … After scoring a team-leading 12 goals a year ago, Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) scored her first of the season vs. St. Catherine Friday. Olson also leads the team in assists with eight assists. … 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. … Seventeen of the Cardinals' 27 goals this season have come from freshmen. … Kaye Collier (Hibbing, Minn.), who stopped 34 of the 36 shots she faced against St. Catherine Friday, enters this afternoon's rematch vs. the Wildcats St. Catherine boasting a 1.33 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 13-7 in the third period. … SMU has scored first in seven of its nine games, going 5-0-2. … 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:
With Friday's tie against SMU, the Wildcats extended their unbeaten streak to five straight (4-0-1). … St. Catherine has outscored its opponents 21-3 during its current five-game unbeaten streak. … The lone blemish on the Wildcats' record this season 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 3-0-1 on the road this year. … SCU scored a season-high seven goals against Augsburg on Nov. 20. … Michaela Michaelson comes into today's game leading the team in goals (5) and points (9). … Cassie Rooney is the team's assist leader with five — including one vs. SMU Friday — and is second to Michaelson with eight points. … Thirteen different players have combined for St. Catherine's 31 goals, while 17 Wildcats have recorded at least one point. … Mel Gerten has started six of the team's seven games in goal, compiling a 1.59 goals-against-average and a 920 save percentage. … St. Catherine is a perfect 5-0-0 when scoring the game's first goal | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics