ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team closes out its two-game conference series against Saint Benedict on Saturday. Puck drops at 2 p.m. at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex.


The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-6-3 MIAC | 5-9-4 Overall)
at Saint Benedict Blazers (2-6-3 MIAC | 4-11-3 Overall)

Last Night:
The Cardinals surrendered the game's first three goals and never recovered in falling to Saint Benedict 3-2 Friday evening at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex

SMU vs. Saint Benedict — A Year Ago:
February 11, 2011: Saint Benedict scored three unanswered goals in the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie and lifting the Blazers to a 4-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the SMU Ice Arena.
February 12, 2011: SMU got a pair of goals from Stevie Fiek in helping the Cardinals to their fourth win in their last five games, a 4-1 victory over Saint Benedict at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals square off against league-leading Gustavus next weekend, hosting the high-flying Gusties in a 7 p.m. game at the SMU Ice Arena on Friday, then traveling to St. Peter, Minn., on Saturday for the 2 p.m. rematch at Don Roberts Ice Arena. … Saint Benedict, meanwhile, faces St. Olaf in a pair of conference games next weekend. CSB hosts the Oles in a 7:30 p.m. game at the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud, Minn., on Friday, then travels to Northfield, Minn., for a 2 p.m. rematch on Saturday.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
With Friday's 3-2 loss at Saint Benedict, the Cardinals have now scored two goals or less in eight of their nine losses this season. … Friday's setback also snapped SMU's two-game unbeaten streak (1-0-1). … SMU's 3-2 loss to CSB also marked the ninth game this season decided by one goal or less. … With Friday's loss to the Blazers, SMU has now surrendered three goals in their last five losses — and seven times in their nine losses overall. … Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) and Dana Kreuser (Maplewood, Minn.) accounted for SMU's two goals vs. Saint Benedict Friday. … Peterson's goal was her fifth of the season, while Kreuser's was her second of the year. … Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.), who has scored in SMU's three previous games, was held off the scoresheet Friday evening. … Coolsaet enters Saturday's rematch with Saint Benedict boasting a team-leading 12 points. … Coolsaet also shares the team lead in goals (6) with Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.), while joining Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.), Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) and Peterson atop the team lead in assists with six. … The Cardinals boast five players with 10 or more points — Coolsaet (12), Stenseth (11), DeBartolo (11), Olson (11) and Peterson (11). … Olson — who has owned the team's points lead in each of the last two seasons — 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 25 shots against Saint Benedict Friday — enters Saturday's game vs. Saint Benedict with a 2.03 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage. … With last Saturday's 1-1 tie against Augsburg, the Cardinals have now equaled the school record for ties in a season at four. … The 1-1 tie vs. Augsburg also marked the second straight Saturday in which SMU played an OT game — the Cardinals dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to St. Thomas on Jan. 21. … SMU, which has now played six overtime games this season, is still looking for its first overtime win of the season (0-2-4). …  SMU is now 1-2-7 in its last 10 overtime games. … SMU has held its opponent to one goal or less six times this season. … SMU's five goals vs. the Auggies in the Cardinals' 5-2 win on Jan. 27 equaled their highest offensive output of the season. SMU also scored five goals in a 5-3 win over St. Norbert on Nov. 4. … SMU scored four of its five goals vs. Augsburg on Jan. 27 in the last 1:16 of a period — including back-to-back goals 21 seconds apart in the waning seconds of the third period. … SMU's opponents have scored first in 12 of the Cardinals' 18 games this season. … Thirty-three of the 43 goals allowed by SMU this season have come after the first period.

Saint Benedict News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
With their 3-2 win over Saint Mary's on Friday, the Blazers snapped their three-game losing streak and eight-game (0-7-1) winless streak. … Saint Benedict has played five overtime games this season, going 0-1-4. … CSB has scored a season-high four goals in two of its four wins this season — beating Marian 4-2 to open the season on Oct. 29, then dropping Augsburg 4-1 on Nov. 19. The Blazers also scored four goals in a 5-4 loss to Augsburg on Nov. 18. … Saint Benedict has scored three or more goals in nine of its 18 games. … Kerri Graske scored in her second straight game Friday, giving the senior a team-leading six goals. … Megan Brettingen is the team's leader in assists (8), while Graske owns a team-best 13 points, one more than Brettingen. … CSB's 40 goals have come from 14 different players, while 19 of the 20 Blazers who have played in a game this season have recorded at least one point. … Kaitlyn Rolando finished with 32 saves against the Cardinals Friday. … Rolando and Jenna Traut — who finished with 50 saves in the two games against Hamline last weekend, — have shared the goaltending duties for the Blazers. Traut owns a 2.57 goals-against-average and a .914 save percentage in 12 starts, while Rolando has a 3.74 GAA and an .868 save percentage in seven starts. … The Blazers have scored first in eight of their 18 games, going 3-3-2. CSB is 1-8-1 when its opponent nets the game's first goal.