WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Friday, as the Cardinals host Concordia in the first game of their two-game conference series. Face-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-1-1 MIAC | 3-3-1 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (4-0-0 MIAC | 5-3-0 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals gave up a pair of unanswered goals—one with 4:47 remaining in regulation, and the other with 1:23 left in overtime—as St. Norbert handed Saint Mary's a 3-2 setback Saturday evening at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• Concordia: The Cobbers split their two nonconference games against Marian last weekend in Moorhead, Minn., beating the Sabres 5-2 last Saturday, before falling in the rematch 3-1 a day later | Marian Recap 1 * Marian Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• February 13, 2015 * Moorhead, Minn.: It was a tale of two halves for Saint Mary's—the first period and a half belonged to the Cardinals, while the second period and a half was all Concordia. And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Cobbers' half was one goal better, as Concordia rallied from a two-goal deficit with three unanswered goals in handing Saint Mary's a 3-2 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Moorhead Youth Rink | Recap
• February 14, 2015 * Moorhead, Minn.: Kelsey Vandegrift scored a pair of goals for the second straight game, leading the Cobbers to a 2-0 victory over the Cardinals—completing the two-game conference sweep and leaving Saint Mary's still searching for its playoff-clinching victory | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Cobbers return to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Saturday, completing their two-game conference series with a 2 p.m. matinee.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Cardinals' 3-2 overtime loss to St. Norbert snapped their three-game unbeaten streak. Saint Mary's now heads into Friday's series-opener against Concordia 2-1-1 in its last four games. … The Cardinals surrendered as many goals against St. Norbert (3) as they had in their previous three games combined. … Saint Mary's 3-2 loss to the Green Knights Saturday was its second overtime game of the season—the Cardinals battled Bethel to a 1-1 draw on Nov. 13. Saint Mary's played six OT games a year ago, going 2-1-3. … The Cardinals' 3-2 overtime loss to St. Norbert was their sixth straight game—and the 18th time in their last 19 contests—that the game has been decided by two goals or less. … The Cardinals' five-goal effort against UW-Superior in their 5-2 season-opening win on Oct. 30 was the Cardinals' highest offensive output since netting five goals in a 5-3 win over Hamline on Feb. 23, 2014. … Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) and Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) accounted for the Cardinals' two goals against St. Norbert last Saturday. It was Henderson's team-leading fifth of the season, while Fadness scored for the first time. … Henderson has now scored in three straight games—the sophomore scored once in Saint Mary's 2-1 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 20, then added a pair of goals in the Cardinals' sweep-clinching 3-1 victory vs. the Oles a day later. … Henderson has posted two two-goal games in her collegiate career—also scored twice in Saint Mary's 4-1 win over UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 2, 2015. … McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.), who had her three-game goal-scoring streak snapped against St. Norbert last Saturday, enters Friday's game against Concordia leading the team in assists (5) and points (8). … Henderson and Parent each recorded their first collegiate three-point games against St. Olaf on Nov. 21, while Fadness and Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.) both recorded career-best two-assist nights in that same game. … Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.) stopped 42 St. Norbert shots in her collegiate debut between the pipes last Saturday. … Corcoran is the third goalie to start for the Cardinals this season. … Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.) has made three starts in goal, going 2-0-1 with a 1.30 goals-against-average and .961 save percentage, with Marah Shields (Milford, Mich.) close behind with a 2.01 GAA and .955 save percentage. … Shields recorded a school-record 79 saves in the Cardinals' 2-0 loss to UW-Superior on Oct. 31. … The 79-save effort—which ranks No. 6 all-time in NCAA Division III history—is 24 saves more than the previous record of 55, set by Nikki Jung against Gustavus on Jan. 21, 2005. … Shields made 22 saves in the first period, 33 in the second, and 24 in the third en route to her 79-save performance. … The Cardinals have scored first in all three of their wins this season (3-1-0). Saint Mary's is 0-2-1 when its opponent nets the game's first goal. … Saint Mary's is coming off an 11-win season a year ago—the Cardinals' highest win total since going 11-11-3 during the 2010-11 season. … With their 5-2 win over UW-Superior on Oct. 30, the Cardinals snapped a four-game season-opening winless streak (0-3-1). Saint Mary's last season-opening win was a 5-0 victory over Marian on Oct. 29, 2010.
 
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Last Sunday's 3-1 loss to Marian snapped the Cobbers' season-high five-game winning streak. … Concordia, which opened the season with back-to-back 5-4 losses to UW-Stevens Point, outscored its opponents 17-2 during its five-game win streak. … Jess Nelson recorded her first collegiate hat trick in leading the Cobbers' to last Saturday's 5-2 win over Marian, while Tori Davis and Kayla Nack accounted for the other two goals. … Cassey Petrich netted CC's lone goal in last Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Sabres. … Jessica Kongelf enters this weekend's games against Saint Mary's as the team-leader in both goals (5) and points (9). … Kongelf's five goals are one more than Nelson and Ellen Retwisch, while her nine points are two in front of Nelson. … Morgan Bruns has amassed a team-best six assists. … Andrea Klug put together a school-record 273-minute shutout streak in which the Cobber goalie stopped 102 consecutive shots—and earned back-to-back MIAC Athlete of the Week honors. Klug's shutout streak came to an end four minutes into the second period of CC's 5-2 win over Marian last Saturday. … Klug has started six of the Cobbers' eight games this season, compiling a 1.17 goals-against-average and a .953 save percentage. … She has made 142 saves, owns a 5-1-0 record, and boasts four shutouts. … Brittany Boss has started CC's other two games in goal, going 0-2-0 with a 3.50 GAA and .863 save percentage. … Concordia has outscored its opponents 26-15 —including 9-3 in the first period and 9-4 in the second. … The Cobbers have scored first in six of their eight games this season—including all five of their wins—while going 0-2-0 when their opponent scores first. … The Cobbers have played one overtime game this season, falling to UW-Stevens Point 5-4 on Nov. 7.