WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team puts its 2-0 conference record on the line on Friday, as the Cardinals host St. Catherine in a 7 p.m. MIAC game at the SMU Ice Arena.



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

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Last Action:
The Cardinals kicked off MIAC play in style last weekend, sweeping Hamline. Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.) scored the game-winner two minutes into overtime, as the Cardinals slipped past the Pipers 2-1 Friday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. SMU then completed the sweep by getting goals by four different players in a 4-3 victory at the SMU Ice Arena on Saturday. … St. Catherine, meanwhile, also opened conference play with a sweep, beating Augsburg 3-2 on Friday in Minneapolis, Minn., then shutting out the Auggies 2-0 on Saturday on their home ice in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. St. Catherine — A Year Ago:
November 18, 2011: The Cardinals scored as many goals in one night as they did in their two games the previous weekend combined — but could only come away with a single point, as SMU battled St. Catherine to a 2-2 overtime tie at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.

November 19, 2011: St. Catherine converted on two of its five power play opportunities — with both goals coming in the second period — as SCU handed SMU a 3-1 MIAC setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals and Wildcats are back on the ice together on Saturday, as St. Catherine hosts Saint Mary's in a 4 p.m. MIAC contest at the Drake Ice Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
With their 2-1 win over Hamline last Friday, the Cardinals improved to 3-0-1 in their last four conference openers. … SMU's 2-1, 4-3 sweep of the Pipers last weekend was their first conference sweep since the Cardinals beat Augsburg 5-0 and 3-1 on Feb. 4-5, 2012. … With their two wins over Hamline, the Cardinals are now 5-0-3 in the last four conference-opening series. … The Cardinals are 2-0-0 in conference play for the first time since beating Concordia 2-1 and 3-0 in 2003-04. … SMU's 2-1 overtime win over Hamline last Friday snapped its eight-game overtime winless streak — it was the Cardinals' first OT win since beating St. Thomas 2-1 on Jan. 29, 2011. … The Cardinals played eight overtime games a year ago, going 0-2-6. The six ties were a school record. … Mackenzie Klimek (Hastings, Minn.) and Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.) scored SMU's two goals vs. Hamline Friday, while DeBartolo, Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Katie Ehlenfeldt (Beaver Dam, Wis.) and Rory Petrisin (High Bridge, N.J.) found the back of the net against the Pipers on Saturday. … The goals were the first of their collegiate careers for Klimek, Ehlenfeldt and Petrisin. … Klimek also picked up three assists vs. the Pipers last weekend — including two in Saturday's 4-3 victory — to give the sophomore the team lead in both assists (5) and points (6). … DeBartolo, Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) and Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.) share the team lead in goals with two each. … Coosaet's two goals came in the Cardinals' 4-1 win over Concordia-Wis. on Oct. 27. It was the fourth multiple-goal game of her collegiate career. … McKenna Parent (Ham Lake, Minn.) and Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) have also scored their first collegiate goals this season. … SMU's 13 goals have come from 10 different players. … Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) stopped a season-high 34 shots against Hamline last Friday, while Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.) stopped a career-high 31 shots in last Saturday's 4-3 win over the Pipers. … Herrmann, who picked up her first collegiate win with a 20-save effort against Concordia-Wis. on Oct. 27, enters Friday's game against St. Catherine with a 2.00 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage, while Gustafson has a 3.44 goals-against-average and a .903 save percentage. … Ehlenfeldt's goal with 34 seconds remaining in the first period vs. Hamline last Saturday was the Cardinals' first first-period goal of the season. … Seven of the 11 goals the Cardinals have allowed this season have come in the third period. … SMU has not surrendered a first-period goal this season.

Scouting St. Catherine Wildcats:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
The Wildcats head into Friday's game at Saint Mary's having won two straight — thanks to a 3-2, 2-0 sweep of Augsburg last weekend. … Bailey Rasmussen scored a goal in both games against Augsburg last weekend. Megan Kilmer and Katie Jirik netted SCU's other two goals in Friday's 3-2 win, while Nicki Mosbeck accounted for the Wildcats' other goal in Saturday's 2-0 victory. … Alex Hall stopped all 18 shots she faced against Augsburg Saturday en route to her second straight win and her first collegiate shutout. … Rasmussen leads the team in goals (2) and shares the team lead in points (2) with Kilmer and Mallory Ryan. … Hall and Samantha Geissler have shared the goaltending duties for the Cardinals, with Hall owning a 0.61 goals-against-average and a .974 save percentage, while Geissler has a 2.19 GAA and a .914 save percentage. … All three of St. Catherine's goals in its 3-2 win over Augsburg last Friday came on the power play. … Last Saturday's 2-0 win over Augsburg was the Wildcats' home opener. Including Friday's game at Saint Mary's, the Wildcats will play three of their first four games on the road.