BLAINE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team kicks off its final weekend of the regular season on Friday, when the Cardinals travel to the Schwan's Super Rink for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with Bethel.
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-10-2 MIAC | 6-13-2 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (10-4-2 MIAC | 13-8-2 Overall)
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Last Action:
The Cardinals got 78 saves from freshman Tori Herrmann, but had to settle for a 0-1-1 showing against Concordia last weekend. Herrmann kicked out all 34 shots she faced, as the Cardinals battled playoff-bound Concordia to a 0-0 tie last Friday in Moorhead, Minn. Herrmann added 44 saves in the teams' rematch a day later, this time coming out on the short end of a 4-0 conference decision. … Bethel, meanwhile, locked up an MIAC post-season berth with a sweep of Saint Benedict last weekend. The Royals edged the Blazers 3-2 last Friday in St. Cloud, Minn., then used a pair of three-goal periods to rout CSB 6-1 in the rematch in Blaine, Minn., on Saturday.
SMU vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
February 24, 2012: Including their first of two games against Bethel, SMU had played 24 games — one-third of which had gone into overtime. And, thanks to the Cardinals' 2-2 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tie against Bethel at the SMU Ice Arena, six of those eight OT contests ended in a draw.
February 25, 2012: Playing in their final collegiate game, Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) and Alex Braun (Darwin, Minn.) accounted for all three of the Cardinals' goals, as SMU closed out its 2011-2012 season with a 3-2 victory over Bethel at the Bethel Arena.
Up Next:
The Cardinals close out their 2012-13 schedule on Saturday, as SMU honors graduating seniors Julianne Bartosz (Mokena, Ill.) and Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) prior to their 2 p.m. rematch with the Royals.
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
After going winless (0-2-6) in eight overtime games a year ago, the Cardinals are 2-0-2 in OT games this season. SMU has beaten Hamline 2-1 and UW-Eau Claire 3-2, while tying Augsburg 3-3 and Concordia 0-0. … SMU's 0-0 tie against Concordia last Friday was the first scoreless tie in program history. … Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.) stopped all 34 shots she faced in recording her first collegiate shutout last Friday, then followed that up with a career-best 44 saves in the teams' rematch last Saturday. … In her last three starts, Herrmann has recorded 112 saves. …Fellow goalie Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) matched Herrman's career-high 44-save effort, stopping her career-high 44 shots in SMU's 6-1 loss to Gustavus on Feb. 9. … Herrmann enters Friday's game at Bethel with a 2.59 goals-against-average and a .920 save percentage, while Gustafson heads into the weekend with a 3.18 GAA and an .890 save percentage. … Herrmann owns a team-leading 300 saves, while Gustafson is close behind with 284 saves. … Gustafson stopped seven Saint Benedict shots in each of the three periods en route to her first shutout of the season and fifth of her career on Feb. 2. … Herrmann made 20 saves against Concordia-Wis. on Oct. 27 en route to her first collegiate win. … Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) — who notched a pair of assists against Saint Benedict in SMU's 4-0 win on Feb. 2 en route to her first collegiate two-point game — scored SMU's two goals against Gustavus on Feb. 8-9. … Fadness netted a first-period goal in SMU's 3-1 loss on Feb. 8, then added a second-period tally in the rematch, a 6-1 setback. … Katie Ehlenfeldt (Beaver Dam, Wis.) picked up the assist on Fadness' goal vs. Gustavus on Feb. 8, while Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) and Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.) assisted on Fadness' second-period goal a day later. … Peterson enters Friday's game at Bethel leading the team in goals (8) and points (15). … Two of Peterson's eight goals have come when SMU was shorthanded. … DeBartolo is second to Peterson in both goals (6) and points (13), while Mackenzie Klimek (Hastings, Minn.) — who recorded her first collegiate two-goal game against Saint Benedict on Feb. 2 — owns a team-leading seven assists, one more than both Peterson and DeBartolo. … DeBartolo recorded her first collegiate hat trick on Jan. 4, scoring all three of SMU's goals — including the game-winner in overtime — in its 3-2 win over UW-Eau Claire. … DeBartolo owns two game-winning goals — with both coming in overtime. The sophomore forward also scored the game-winner in SMU's first OT win of the season against Hamline on Nov. 9. … SMU's 35 goals have come from 12 different players, including collegiate firsts from Klimek, Karban, Parent, Ehlenfeldt, Fadness and Rory Petrisin (High Bridge, N.J.). … SMU owns a 5-2-0 record when scoring first, but the Cardinals are just 1-11-1 when their opponent scores first.
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
Bethel has already locked up one of the five MIAC post-season playoff berths, but are still battling with St. Thomas and Concordia for the No. 2 spot behind regular-season champion Gustavus. St. Thomas currently holds down the second slot with 23 points, one more than BU and Concordia with two games remaining. … With their sweep of Saint Benedict last weekend, the Royals pushed their winning streak to a season-high five straight. … Bethel's six goals in its 6-1 win over CSB last Saturday were one shy of the Royals' season high. … Bethel has allowed just five goals during its current five-game winning streak. … Cristina Masten has been the offensive sparkplug for the Royals. Masten has scored at least one goal in each of the five games during their current five-game winning streak, and enters this weekend's games against Saint Mary's owning a team-best 17 tallies. … With her three points against CSB last Saturday — two goals and one assist — Masten also pushed her team- and conference-leading point total to 28. … Masten is one of five Royals with 10 or more points. Biz Huss (22), Lindsay Burman (21), Caroline Kivisto (17) and Kalie Johnson (16) are the other four. … Burman leads the team in assists with 13, two more than Masten, Huss and Johnson. … Jess Newstrom and Erika Allen have shared the goaltending duties this season, with Allen compiling a 1.40 goals-against-average and a .943 save percentage in 645 minutes played, while Newstrom owns a 2.08 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 721 minutes. … Bethel holds a 33-30 scoring edge through the game's first two periods, but the Royals have been unstoppable in the third, outscoring their opponents 30-12. … The Royals have played two overtime games this season — with both ending in 1-1 ties. BU and Concordia tied 1-1 on Nov. 16, while the Royals battled St. Catherine to a 1-1 deadlock on Jan. 24. … Bethel is unbeaten (11-0-1) when scoring the game's first goal, and 2-8-1 when its opponent scores first. |
