ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team closes out its two-game MIAC series against league-leading Gustavus on Saturday at the Don Roberts Ice Arena. Puck drops at 2 p.m.


The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-7-3 MIAC | 6-10-4 Overall)
vs. #6 Gustavus Gusties (12-0-1 MIAC | 17-1-2 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Night:
Gustavus scored the game's first four goals and never looked back in handing the Cardinals an 8-2 MIAC setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

SMU vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
February 18, 2011: Special teams weren't so special for SMU, as Gustavus scored three power play goals in handing the Cardinals a 4-2 MIAC setback at Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn.
February 19, 2011: Gustavus scored twice in the second period and once more in the third in completing the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep with a 3-0 victory at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home for a pair of conference games against Concordia next weekend. SMU hosts the Cobbers at 7 p.m. on Friday, with the same two teams squaring off Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games will be played at the SMU Ice Arena. … Gustavus, meanwhile, squares off against St. Olaf next weekend. GAC hosts the Oles at 7 p.m. at Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn., on Friday, with the Gusties traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a 2 p.m. Saturday rematch against St. Olaf.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
Following Saturday's rematch against Gustavus, the Cardinals play three of their final four games at home, where the Cardinals are 2-5-1 this season. … Saturday's game vs. GAC is the second of four straight games against the conference's top two teams for the Cardinals. After Saturday's second showdown with the league-leading Gusties, SMU welcomes Concordia — currently second in the MIAC standings — for two games next weekend. … With Friday's loss to Gustavus, the Cardinals fall to 1-2-1 in their last four games. … Last Saturday's 1-0 win over Saint Benedict was the second shutout victory of the season for the Cardinals. SMU's other shutout was also a 1-0 decision, this one coming against Hamline on Nov. 11. … Last Saturday's 1-0 victory at Saint Benedict, was the Cardinals' 10th game decided by one goal or less. … SMU has held its opponent to one goal or less seven times this season. … With Friday's 8-2 loss to Gustavus, the Cardinals have now scored two goals or less in nine of their 10 losses this season. … Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) scored SMU's two goals vs. Gustavus Friday. … Peterson has now scored in two of SMU's last three games. … Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.) shares the team lead in goals (6) with Peterson and Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.), while Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) owns a team-best seven assists. … Coolsaet, Peterson and Olson all share the team's top spot in points with 12. The trio are three of five SMU players with 10 or more points — Stenseth (11) and Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill. / 11) are the other two. … 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 stopped a season-high 40 shots in notching her second shutout of the season and fourth of her collegiate career last Saturday against Saint Benedict — finished with 35 saves against Gustavus Friday. … Gustafson's 40-save effort against Saint Benedict last Saturday was just three saves shy of her career best 43 saves against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 6, 2010. … Gustafson enters Saturday's game against Gustavus with a 2.24 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage. … With their 1-1 tie against Augsburg on Jan. 28, the Cardinals have now equaled the school record for ties in a season at four. … 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 1-2-7 in its last 10 overtime games. … 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's opponents have scored first in 13 of the Cardinals' 20 games this season. … Thirty-eight of the 51 goals allowed by SMU this season have come after the first period.

Gustavus Gusties News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Friday's 8-2 win over Saint Mary's was the Gusties' third straight victory. … GAC, which had its season-opening 16-game unbeaten streak (14-0-2) snapped with a 5-1 nonconference loss at UW-Superior on Jan. 31, has played three overtime games this season, going 2-0-1. … Last Saturday's 2-1 win over Hamline marked the 11th time this season Gustavus has held its opponent to one goal or less. On the flip side, GAC has scored five or more goals 10 times — including a season-high nine goals in a 9-0 win over Augsburg on Dec. 2. … The Gusties boast five shutouts this season. … The Gusties outshot Hamline 62-4 in last Saturday's 2-1 win, while holding a 123-17 advantage in shots on goal for the two game series against the Pipers. … GAC's eight goals vs. Saint Mary's came from seven different players. Amanda Cartony scored twice, while Mollie Carroll, Courtney Boucher, Leah Johnson, Carolyn Draayer, Gracie Olson and Allie Schwab accounted for the other six. … Cartony and Boucher have both scored in back-to-back games. … Schwab has scored a team-high 18 goals this season. … Schwab is one of three Gusties with 10 or more goals this season — Draayer (16) and Carroll (12) are the other two. … Carroll, one of five GAC players with 10 or more assists, owns a team-leading 18 helpers — including two Friday evening. … Schwab is the team's points leader with 33, while Carroll is second with 30. GAC boasts eight players with 10 or more points. … As a team, Gustavus has scored 94 goals this season. … Danielle Justice and Marah Sobczak have shared the goaltending duties for the Gusties this season, with Justice owning a team-best 1.22 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage, while Sobczak has a 2.15 GAA and an .852 save percentage. … The Gusties have held their first 20 opponents to just four first-period goals. GAC has outscored its opponents 26-4 in the first period and 33-8 in the third. … Gustavus has scored first in 18 of its 20 games, going 17-1-0. GAC has tied both games in which the Gusties' opponent has scored first.