WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team opens its two-game MIAC series against St. Olaf at home Friday, as the Cardinals entertain the Oles in a 7 p.m. matchup at the SMU Ice Arena.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-7-0 MIAC | 5-11-1 Overall) vs. St. Olaf Oles (4-6-0 MIAC | 4-13-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals dropped a pair of conference games to Gustavus last weekend, falling 4-3 on Friday and 5-0 a day later. … St. Olaf came up empty in its conference series against Bethel last weekend, losing 4-2 and 6-0.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
November 30, 2013: SMU struggled to get out of the blocks, as St. Olaf erupted for three first-period goals and held off the Cardinals' late rally to hand Saint Mary's a 5-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Northfield Ice Arena in Northfield, Minn.
December 1, 2013: SMU was at its best in the third period during its two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games against St. Olaf. In their first meeting, the Cardinals outshot the host Oles 16-4 and outscored them 2-1 — but it was not enough, as St. Olaf held off SMU 5-3 at the Northfield Ice Arena. And it was more of the same in the teams' rematch, as the Cardinals held a decisive 19-9 edge in shots on goal in the game's final 20 minutes, only to come up empty in falling to the Oles 3-1 at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals and Oles head to the Northfield Ice Arena on Saturday, as the two teams complete their two-game conference series with a 3 p.m. rematch at the Northfield Ice Arena.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
After putting together a season-high 3-0-1 unbeaten streak, SMU heads into Friday's game against St. Olaf looking to put an end to a three-game losing streak. … With their three goals in last Friday's 4-3 loss, the Cardinals became the first conference team this season to score more than two goals against the Gusties. … Katie LeTourneau (White Bear Lake, Minn.), McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.) and Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) accounted for SMU's three goals in its 4-3 loss to seventh-ranked Gustavus last Friday. … With her goal against Gustavus, Peterson moved into the team lead in points with 13, one more than Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.). … Peterson also shares the team's goals-scoring lead (5) with Parent, Brittany Therrien (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) and Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.). … DeBartolo and Peterson each boast a team-best eight assists. … DeBartolo had her five-game point-scoring streak snapped against Bethel on Jan. 17. DeBartolo had nine points — two goals and seven assists — during her career-high five-game point streak. … DeBartolo, who recorded her first three-point game of the season — and second of her career — with a goal and two assists against UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 10, had a hand in all five goals SMU scored in its 3-0 win over UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 10 and 2-2 tie vs. St. Norbert on Jan. 15. … Lien had a goal and two assists in SMU's 5-1 win over UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 11 en route to her first collegiate three-point game. … Peterson recorded the fourth three-point game of her collegiate career against Saint Benedict on Nov. 23, recording a goal and two assists in SMU's 4-0 win. … SMU boasts five players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season — Lien, Cwik, Ingrid Curwin (Duluth, Minn.), Jane Hannula (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Lindsay Paschke (New Prague, Minn.). … SMU's 42 goals have come from 13 different players. … SMU has scored three shorthanded goals this season — with Lien accounting for two of them. … All three of SMU's shorthanded goals have come in the third period. … Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.), who finished with 36 saves against Gustavus last Friday, stopped a season-high 39 shots in SMU's 2-1 win over Bethel on Jan. 17. … Gustafson, who leads the team with 293 saves, enters this weekend's games against St. Olaf boasting a team-best 2.54 goals-against-average and .910 save percentage. … Gustafson has posted two shutouts this season and owns seven shutouts in her collegiate career — including at least one in each of her four seasons. … Fellow goalie Marah Shields (Mitford, Mich.), who stopped a career-high 36 shots in the Cardinals' 2-2 tie vs. St. Norbert on Jan. 15, owns a 3.37 GAA and .899 save percentage. … The Cardinals posted a season-high 52 shots on goal in their 3-0 win over UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 10. It was the most shots on goal since Feb. 25, 2004, when the Cardinals peppered Hamline with 53 shots. … SMU's five goals in its 5-1 Jan. 11 win over UW-Eau Claire equaled their season high. The Cardinals also netted five goals in a 6-5 loss to Lake Forest on Jan. 5. … SMU has scored 31 of its 41 goals after the first period — netting 16 goals in the second and 15 more in the third. … The Cardinals have scored first in 10 of their 17 games — including four of their five wins. SMU is still looking for its first win when its opponent scores the game's first goal (0-6-0). … SMU collected its second series sweep of the season with its 3-0, 5-1 victories over UW-Eau Claire on Jan. Jan. 10-11. The Cardinals also swept Saint Benedict (3-1 and 4-0) in late November. … SMU's Nov. 26 game against ninth-ranked St. Scholastica marked the second time this season SMU has faced a team ranked in the USCHO.com Top 10. SMU dropped an 8-2 decision to sixth-ranked Gustavus to open the season. … The Cardinals have now faced St. Scholastica twice in the program's history — with the Saints winning both games 2-1. 

Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Friday's game at Saint Mary's is the second straight road game for St. Olaf, which is 2-7-0 away from home this season. … Last Friday's 4-2 loss to Bethel snapped the Oles' two-game winning streak. … St. Olaf has scored a season-high six goals twice this season — Saint Benedict 6-2 and Hamline 6-1. … On the flip side, the Oles have surrendered five or more goals five times — including a season-high eight in an 8-1 loss to UW-River Falls on Jan. 8. … Katie Moeller and Drue Engelmann accounted for St. Olaf's two goals against Bethel last weekend. … Margot Fleming heads into this weekend's games against Saint Mary's leading the team in goals (11) and points (14). … Tara Reyelts and Kira Clunis share the team assist lead with six each. … St. Olaf has used three different goalies this season, led by Cassie Alexander, who has a 3.31 goals-against-average and .903 save percentage in 10 games, while Haley Sampson has a 5.14 GAA and .867 save percentage in six games, and Sam Ubl boasts a 2.87 GAA and .921 save percentage in four games. … St. Olaf has been outscored 65-32 this season — including 20-12 in the second period and 26-9 in the third. … The Oles have scored first in just three of their 17 games this season — winning all three. St. Olaf is 1-13-0 when its opponent scores first.