MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, heading to the St. Thomas Ice Arena for a 2 p.m. showdown with nationally ranked St. Thomas.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-2-1 MIAC | 4-7-2 Overall) at #4 St. Thomas Tommies (4-1-1 MIAC | 9-1-1 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals dropped a pair of nonconference games to third-ranked Lake Forest last weekend in Lake Forest, Ill., falling to the Foresters 2-1 on Saturday, before dropping a 4-2 decision a day later | Lake Forest Recap 1 * Lake Forest Recap 2
• St. Thomas: The Tommies have been off since Dec. 12-13, when they collected a pair of nonconference wins over UW-Stevens Point in Mendota Heights, Minn., beating the Pointers 1-0 and 6-2 | UW-SP Recap 1 * UW-SP Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• November 14, 2014 * Winona, Minn.: The Tommies proved to be every bit as good as their No. 8 national ranking, erupting for four goals in handing the Cardinals a 4-1 setback in the teams' conference opener at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• November 15, 2014 * Mendota Heights, Minn.: Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.) stopped everything the Tommies threw at her, as the junior recorded a season-high 43 saves—one shy of her collegiate best—for her second collegiate shutout in helping Saint Mary's to a 0-0 overtime tie at the St. Thomas Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Tommies head to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Sunday for the second game of their two-game conference series. Game time is slated for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saint Mary's conference game against St. Thomas Friday is the fourth straight road game for the Cardinals. … The Cardinals' 2-1 and 4-2 losses to third-ranked Lake Forest last weekend marked the 11th and 12th straight games—and the 21st and 22nd times in their last 25 contests—that the game has been decided by two goals or less. … With their two goals against Lake Forest last Sunday, the Cardinals snapped a streak of four straight contests in which Saint Mary's was held to one goal or less. … Saint Mary's three goals against No. 3 Lake Forest last weekend came from three different players—Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) netted the Cardinals' goal on Saturday, while Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) and Rory Petrisin (High Bridge, N.J.) found the back of the net on Sunday. … Henderson has now scored a goal in six of the Cardinals' last eight games. … Henderson is the team-leader in goals with eight and points with 12. … McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.) and Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.) share the team lead in assists with six each. … Parent recorded her first collegiate two-goal game in the Cardinals' 4-2 win over Concordia on Dec. 4. … Henderson and Parent each recorded their first collegiate three-point games against St. Olaf on Nov. 21, while Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Lien both notched career-best two-assist nights in that same game. … Maddy Wallraff's (Blaine, Minn.) second-period goal against UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 2 was the first of her collegiate career. … Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.) made 32 saves against the Foresters last Saturday—it was the third time in six starts that the senior has stopped 30 or more shots. … Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.) finished with 23 saves in the Cardinals' rematch against Lake Forest last Sunday. … Corcoran stopped 42 St. Norbert shots in her collegiate debut between the pipes on Nov. 28. … Marah Shields (Milford, Mich.) posted 31 saves against UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 2, marking the third time in five starts the junior has finished with 30 or more saves. … Herrmann has made five starts in goal for the Cardinals, going 3-1-1 with a 1.48 goals-against-average and .948 save percentage, with Shields (5 starts, 2.00 GAA, 950 save percentage) and Corcoran (3 starts, 2.56 GAA, .919 save percentage) close behind. … Herrmann collected her first collegiate assist in the Cardinals' 1-1 tie against Bethel on Nov. 14. … Shields—who owns a team-best 198 saves—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 played four OT contests this season—but they are still searching for their first win (0-2-2). … The Cardinals' last overtime win was a 3-2 victory over St. Olaf on Jan. 31, 2015. … Saint Mary's played six OT games a year ago, going 2-1-3. … Both of Saint Mary's ties this season have been 1-1 decisions. … The Cardinals—who scored first in both games against Lake Forest last weekend—have scored first in all four of their wins this season (4-4-0). Saint Mary's is 0-3-2 when its opponent nets the game's first goal. … 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. … 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. … 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.
 
Scouting The St. Thomas Tommies:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the Tommies' first in more than a month—UST last played on Dec. 13 in a 6-2 win over UW-Stevens Point. … With their 1-0, 6-2 sweep of UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 12-13, the Tommies pushed their winning streak to six, and their unbeaten streak to eight (7-0-1). … UST's six goals in its 6-2 win over UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 13 were a season high. … The Tommies' 1-0 win over the Pointers on Dec. 12 was their third 1-0 victory of the season—UST also beat Bethel 1-0 on Nov. 21 and blanked UW-Eau Claire 1-0 on Dec. 9. … Kathryn Larson heads into this weekend's conference showdown with Saint Mary's as the team leader in goals (6) and points (12). … Larson's six goals are one more than Kaylee Druk and Becca Zarembinski, while Leah Schwartzman is the team-leader in assists (7) and is second to Larson in points (9). … Larson's 12 points and Schwartzman's seven assists rank No. 1 among MIAC players. … St. Thomas has received goals from 13 different players, while 19 of the 22 Tommies who have played this season have recorded at least one point. … Druk posted the season's first hat trick, scoring three times in the Tommies' 4-2 win over Hamline on Nov. 21. … Druk has also netted three game-winning goals, one more than Karina Marette. … Mackenzie Torpy has started all 11 games in goal for the Tommies, compiling a 1.54 goals-against-average and a .937 save percentage. … Torpy has allowed just 16 goals, while making 237 saves through 11 contests. … St. Thomas has outscored its opponents 34-18—including 18-4 in the game's final 20 minutes. … The Tommies have scored first in nine of their 11 games—including eight of their nine wins. UST is 1-1-0 in games in which its opponent has netted the game's first goal. … With their sweep of UW-Stevens Point, the Tommies improved to 7-0-0 at home this season.