WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey closes out its two-game nonconference series against UW-Eau Claire Saturday, hosting the Blugolds in a 2 p.m. game at the SMU Ice Arena.


The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-5-3 Overall)
vs. UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (2-9-2 MIAC | 2-3-3 Overall)

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Last Night:
The Cardinals got a goal from Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) two minutes into the third period, lifting SMU to a 2-1 nonconference win over UW-Eau Claire at Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire, Wis.

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 close out the nonconference portion of their schedule next Saturday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a rare nonconference game against MIAC foe St. Olaf. Puck drops at 3 p.m. at the Northfield Ice Arena. … UW-Eau Claire, meanwhile, squares off against St. Thomas on Wednesday, hosting the Tommies in a 7 p.m. nonconference contest at the Hobbs Ice Arena..

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
The Cardinals' win over UW-Eau Claire on Friday snapped their five-game winless streak (0-3-2). … Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Brittany Therrien scored the Cardinals' two goals vs. UW-Eau Claire on Friday. … Therrien has now scored in back-to-back games, having netted SMU's lone goal in a 3-1 loss to St. Olaf on Dec. 3. … Stenseth also assisted on Therrien's game-winner Friday evening, giving the SMU junior her first two-point game of the season. It was also the fourth two-point game of Stenseth's career. … Stenseth's goal vs. UW-Eau Claire was her team-leading fourth of the season and her two points moved her into a tie for the team lead in points (7) with Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.). … Olson — who has led the team in scoring in each of the last two seasons — also owns a team-best four assists, one better than Stenseth, Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.) and Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.). … 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 made 19 saves in Friday's win over UW-Eau Claire, enters Saturday's rematch vs. the Blugolds with a 2.07 goals-against-average and a .903 save percentage. … 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. … After scoring all five of their goals against St. Olaf in their conference series on Dec. 2-3 came in the first period, the Cardinals were held off the board in the game's opening 20 minutes vs. UW-Eau Claire. … SMU has surrendered the first goal of the game in six of their 11 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. … Fifteen of the 27 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
With their 2-1 loss to Saint Mary's on Friday, the Blugolds are now winless in their last four games (0-3-1). … Nine of the Blugolds' 13 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. … Sam Knutson scored her third goal of the season to account for UW-EC's lone goal against Saint Mary's Friday. … Knutson has now scored in back-to-back games. … Casey McMullen enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's with team-highs in goals (4) and points (7). … Nikki 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 23 goals have come from 11 different players, while 13 Blugolds have recorded at least one point. … The Blugolds have used three different goalies through 13 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 23 goals have come in the third period. … The Blugolds have been outscored 13-7 in the first period and 13-5 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.