BLAINE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team gets back into conference action Friday, traveling to the Schwan's Super Rink for a 7 p.m. game against Bethel.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-0-3 MIAC / 6-4-3 Overall)
Bethel Royals (3-2-1 MIAC / 6-6-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals closed out their nonconference schedule last Saturday, falling to St. Olaf 5-1 at the SMU Ice Arena. Bethel, meanwhile, has been off since Jan. 7-8, when the Royals fell to Saint Benedict (3-1) and beat St. Scholastica (3-2) as part of the Minnesota Showcase in Buffalo, Minn.

A Year Ago:
January 22, 2010: Bethel, playing in its eighth straight one-goal game, scored single goals in both the first and second periods in handing the Cardinals a 2-1 conference setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

January 23, 2010: The Cardinals scored once in the second and twice in the third in handing the Royals a 3-1 conference setback at the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn.

Up Next:
The same two teams square off against Saturday afternoon — this time at the SMU Ice Arena. Puck drops at 4 p.m.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) netted the Cardinals' lone goal in Saturday's 5-1 loss to St. Olaf. It was Olson's second goal in as many games and her third goal of the season. … Olson enters this weekend's games against Bethel as the team's leader in assists (9) and points (12). A year ago, Olson boasted a team- and career-high 12 goals. … Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.) and Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) share the team lead with six goals each. … Coolsaet 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. … Eighteen of the Cardinals' 34 goals this season have come from freshmen. … Kaye Collier (Hibbing, Minn.), who finished with 26 saves in Saturday's loss to St. Olaf, has started 10 of the team's 13 games in goal, compiling a 1.86 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage. … Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) has posted a 2.03 GAA and a .949 save percentage in her three starts. … SMU's 5-1 loss to St. Olaf snapped a string of three straight Saturday wins. … SMU enters Friday's game at Bethel having won its last three Friday contests. … SMU enters the weekend in the midst of a season-high three-game losing streak. The Cardinals have been held to just one goal in each of those three games. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 11-5 in the second period and 15-12 in the third. … SMU has scored first in seven of its 13 games, going 6-0-1. SMU is 0-4-2 when its opponent scores first. … 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

Bethel Royals News and Notes:
The Royals enter this weekend's game vs. Saint Mary's having won three of their last four games — including their Jan. 8 3-2 overtime win over St. Scholastica. … Bethel has now played four overtime games this season, going 2-1-1 — beating Concordia (3-2) and St. Scholastica (3-2), losing to UW-Eau Claire (3-2) and tying Saint Benedict (1-1). … … Christina Masten scored the overtime game-winner for the Royals against St. Scholastica on Jan. 8. It was her team-leading seventh goal of the season and third game-winner. … Masten also shares the team lead in points (10) with Anna Carlson, who boasts a team-best nine assists. … Jess Newstrom has started all 13 games in goal for the Royals, compiling a 2.20 goals-against-average and a .928 save percentage. … Five of the Royals' six wins have come on the road — Bethel is just 1-2-1 on its home ice. … Bethel has been outscored 10-5 in the first period, while the Royals hold a 17-11 scoring edge in the middle period. … The Royals are unbeaten (4-0-0) when scoring first, but are just 2-6-1 when their opponent nets the game's first goal | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics