EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey, off since Dec. 3, hit the ice on Friday, traveling to UW-Eau Claire for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against the Blugolds.


The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-4-3 Overall)
at UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (2-8-2 MIAC | 2-3-3 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats | Video Preview

Last Action:
The Cardinals have been off since Dec. 2-3, when they dropped back-to-back conference games to St. Olaf. SMU jumped out to a 4-1 first-period lead in the opener, only to have the Oles respond with four unanswered goals to beat SMU 5-4 at the SMU Ice Arena. St. Olaf completed the sweep a day later, handing SMU a 3-1 setback at the Northfield Ice Arena in Northfield, Minn. … UW-Eau Claire, meanwhile, has not played since squaring off against UW-Stevens Point in a conference series on Dec. 9-10. The Blugolds fell to the Pointers 1-0 on Dec. 9, then battled UW-SP to a 3-3 tie the following afternoon.

SMU vs. UW-Eau Claire — A Year Ago:
November 5, 2010: The Cardinals used a three-goal second period to take control, as SMU pushed its season-opening winning streak to three straight with a 4-1 nonconference victory over UW-Eau Claire in its home opener at the SMU Ice Arena.
November 6, 2010: The Blugolds used a three-goal period of their own — scoring three times in the first — then held off a furious SMU comeback in beating the Cardinals 4-3 at Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire, Wis.

Up Next:
The Cardinals and Blugolds square off again Saturday night, with SMU hosting UW-Eau Claire in a 2 p.m. nonconference contest at the SMU Ice Arena.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
SMU's 5-4 loss to St. Olaf on Dec. 2 marked the fourth time this season the Cardinals have played an overtime game. It was the first OT game that did not end in a tie. … SMU is now 1-1-6 in its last eight overtime games. … SMU's 5-4 and 3-1 losses to St. Olaf marked the first time the Cardinals have been swept in a conference series this season. … All five of the Cardinals' goals vs. St. Olaf in their conference series on Dec. 2-3 came in the first period — including four in their 5-4 overtime loss on Dec. 2. … Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.), Brooke Bartelt (New Prague, Minn.), Lauren Borkowski (St. Charles, Minn.) and Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.) accounted for the Cardinals' four goals vs. the Oles in their first meeting, while Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) accounted for the Cardinals' goal in the rematch on Dec. 3. … With her goal on Dec. 2 vs. St. Olaf, Stenseth moved into a share of the team lead in goals (3) with Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.), Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) and Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.). … Olson — who has led the team in scoring in each of the last two seasons — leads the team in assists (4) and points (7). … Olson recorded her first collegiate hat trick and her first collegiate five-point game in SMU's 5-3 win over St. Norbert on Nov. 4. … Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.), who kicked out all 21 shots she faced in recording her first shutout of the season — and third of her career — on Nov. 11 vs. Hamline, enters the weekend series against UW-Eau Claire with a 2.19 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage. … SMU has surrendered the first goal of the game in six of their 10 games this season. … The Cardinals are 1-15-2 in the last 18 games in which their opponent scores first — the lone victory being their 5-3 win over St. Norbert on Nov. 4. … Fourteen of the 26 goals allowed by SMU this season have come in the second period. … SMU's 2-2, season-opening tie against Lake Forest on Oct. 28 marked the first time the Cardinals have opened a season with a tie since battling UW-River Falls to a 2-2 deadlock to kick off the 2006-07 season.

UW-Eau Claire Blugolds News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
UW-Eau Claire's 3-3 tie vs. UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 10 extended the Blugolds' winless streak to three straight (0-2-1). … Eight of the Blugolds' 12 games have been decided by one goal or less — including both UW-EC victories. UW-Eau Claire beat St. Norbert 3-2 on Nov. 11 and dropped Adrian 2-1 on Dec. 2. … The Blugolds have played two overtime games this season, with both games ending in ties — 2-2 vs. Bethel on Oct. 29 and 3-3 vs. UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 10. … UW-Eau Claire's 3-2 win over St. Norbert on Nov. 11 snapped its season-opening four-game winless streak (0-3-1). The Blugolds' 2-1 win over Adrian on Dec. 2, meanwhile, put an end to their season-high three-game losing streak. … UW-Eau Claire's 1-0 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 9 marked the first time this season the Blugolds have been shut out. … Emily Haluska, Sam Knutson and Nikki Kothenbeutel scored UW-Eau Claire's three goals in its 3-3 tie vs. Dec. 10. … Casey McMullen enters Friday's game against Saint Mary's with team-highs in goals (4) and points (7). … Kothenbeutel, who is tied with McMullen for the team lead in points, and Toni Simones share the team lead in assists with four each. … UW-Eau Claire's 22 goals have come from 11 different players, while 13 Blugolds have recorded at least one point. … The Blugolds have used three different goalies through 12 games this season. Morgan Pieper leads the way, having appeared in 10 games. She has compiled a 2.65 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage. … Eleven of UW-Eau Claire's 22 goals have come in the third period. … The Blugolds have been outscored 13-7 in the first period and 12-4 in the middle stanza. … Both of the Blugolds' ties, and one of their two wins, have come on the road. UW-EC is 1-4-0 on its home ice, and 1-4-2 away from Hobbs Ice Arena.