FOND DU LAC, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team kicks off the 2016-17 season on the road this weekend. The Cardinals head to the Blue Line Ice Center on Friday for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against Marian, before heading to the Resch Olympic Pavilion in De Pere, Wis., for a 2 p.m. showdown with St. Norbert a day later.
 
The Matchups:
Friday, October 28, 2016 * Blue Line Ice Center, Fond du Lac, Wis. | 7 p.m.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2015-16: 10-13-3 Overall) at Marian Sabres (2015-16: 7-16-2 Overall)
Saturday, October 29, 2016 * Resch Olympic Pavilion, De Pere, Wis. | 2 p.m.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2015-16: 10-13-3 Overall) at St. Norbert Green Knights (2015-16: 15-9-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Marian: Live Stats * Live Video | St. Norbert: Live Video | Video Preview
 
Last Action:
• This weekend's games are the season-openers for the Cardinals, Sabres, and Green Knights.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Marian—Their Last Meeting:
• October 29, 2010 * Fond du Lac, Wis.: Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Isle, Mich.) scored her first two collegiate goals and Kaye Collier (Hibbing, Minn.) stopped all seven shots she faced, as the Cardinals cruised to a 5-0 win over Marian at the Blue Line Ice Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Norbert—A Year Ago:
• November 28, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Despite being outshot by more than a two-to-one margin, the Cardinals headed into the final five minutes of their nonconference game against the Green Knights clinging to a 2-1 advantage. Unfortunately for coach Terry Mannor and the Cardinals, those final five minutes—and four minutes in the game's overtime period—were disastrous. The Green Knights scored the game-tying goal with 4:47 remaining in the third period, then added the game-winner at 3:37 of the extra session, in handing Saint Mary's a heart-breaking 3-2 setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend with a pair of games against Bethel. Saint Mary's and BU square off at 7 p.m. Friday at the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., before the two teams head to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for Saturday's 2 p.m. rematch.
• Marian: The Sabres are back in action next Friday, returning to the Blue Line Ice Center for a 7 p.m. matchup against Concordia (Wis.).
• St. Norbert: The Green Knights return to action on Tuesday, traveling to Mequon, Wis., for a 7 p.m. showdown with Concordia (Wis.)
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2015-16 Final Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• With their 2-0 win over St. Catherine in their regular-season finale, the Cardinals locked up their second straight berth in the MIAC Playoffs, falling to fourth-seeded Concordia 3-1. … Saint Mary's boasted three players—Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.), McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.), and Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.)—on the All-MIAC First-Team last season, while Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.) was an honorable-mention selection. … Twenty-three of the Cardinals' last 25 games have been decided by two goals or less. … Henderson closed out her sophomore season as the Cardinals' leader in goals (13) and points (20). … Henderson's 13 goals were the most by a Cardinal since Melissa Mondo netted 15 during the 2006-07 season, while her 20 points were the most since Nicole Olson recorded 23 in 2010-11. … Parent—who posted her first collegiate two-goal game against Concordia on Dec. 4—led the team in assists with 10, three more than Henderson and Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.). … Parent (19) and Lien (12) joined Henderson as Cardinals who recorded 10 or more points this season. … Lien recorded her second collegiate two-goal game against Hamline on Jan. 22, while Jane Hannula (Coon Rapids, Minn.) notched her third career multiple-goal game with two goals against St. Catherine on Feb. 19. … Henderson and Parent each posted their first collegiate three-point games against St. Olaf on Nov. 21, while Fadness 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. … Herrmann's three shutouts last season gave her six for her collegiate career. … Herrmann made 30 or more saves in seven of her 14 starts last season. … Marah Shields (Milford, Mich.) made 30 or more saves in four of her seven starts a year ago. … Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.) stopped 42 St. Norbert shots in her collegiate debut between the pipes on Nov. 28. … Herrmann—who notched her first collegiate assist in the Cardinals' 1-1 tie against Bethel on Nov. 14—made 16 starts in goal for the Cardinals a year ago, going 9-5-2 with a 1.58 goals-against-average and .949 save percentage. … Herrmann's 1.58 GAA and .949 save percentage both ranked No. 2 in the MIAC. … Shields (7 starts, 2.47 GAA, 940 save percentage) 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. … With their 2-0 win over Gustavus on Feb. 6, the Cardinals snapped a 28-game losing streak against the Gusties. Prior to that win, the last time Saint Mary's had beaten GAC was a 2-1 win in the MIAC Tournament on March 2, 2002. … The Cardinals played seven overtime games last season, going 0-4-3—falling to Gustavus (3-2), Hamline (2-1), UW-Eau Claire (2-1), and UW-Eau Claire (3-2), while tying UW-Eau Claire (1-1), Bethel (1-1), and Augsburg (1-1). … All three of Saint Mary's ties last season were 1-1 decisions. … The Cardinals scored first in all 10 of their wins a year ago (10-6-1). Saint Mary's finished 0-7-2 when its opponent nets the game's first goal. … With their 4-2 win over Hamline on Jan. 22, the Cardinals snapped their season-high seven-game winless streak (0-6-2). … 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. … The Cardinals' games against St. Thomas on Jan. 15-16 marked the third and fourth straight games against teams ranked in the Top 5 of the latest USCHO.com national poll. Along with their two conference games vs. No. 4 St. Thomas, Saint Mary's dropped 2-1 and 4-2 decisions to third-ranked Lake Forest the previous weekend. … 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 Marian Sabres:
2016-17 Roster | 2015-16 Final Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• The Sabres are coming off a 7-16-2 season in 2015-16, including a 4-12-2 mark in NCHA play. … Friday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back home games for Marian, which finished 2-8-2 on its home ice a year ago. … The Sabres' seven wins a year ago were a program record. … Courtney Wittig and Lindsey Strainis return for their sophomore campaigns, after earning NCHA All-Freshman Team honors a year ago. … Wittig was the Sabres' top scorer a year ago, leading the team in goals (14) and points (18). … Wittig, who had a pair of multiple-goal games and enjoyed a four-game goal scoring streak a year ago, finished 12^th in the nation in game-winning goals with four. … Emily Everson closed out the season a year ago with a team-high 11 assists, while finishing second to Wittig with 14 points. … Marian's 43 goals last season came from 14 different players, while 16 Sabres recorded at least one point. … Strainis made 12 starts in goal for the Sabres a year ago, allowing two goals or less in six of those 12 starts—including a pair of shutouts. … Strainis, who finished with a 3.40 goals-against-average and an .891 save percentage—made a combined 34 saves in shutting out Finlandia twice (1-0 and 4-0). …  Strainis ranked fifth in the NCHA with 336 saves. … Marian played four overtime games a year ago, going 0-2-2—including a pair of season-ending 1-1 ties against St. Norbert. … The Sabres were outscored 22-8 in the first period and 27-10 in the second. … Marian scored the game's first goal in five of their seven wins, while going 2-15-2 in games in which the Sabres' opponent scored first.
 
Scouting The St. Norbert Green Knights:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• The Green Knights enter 2016-17 on the heels of a 15-9-4 season a year ago—including a third appearance in the NCHA Playoff championship game in the last four years. St. Norbert fell to Adrian 2-0 in last season's playoff title showdown. … Lauren Roethlisberger closed out the 2015-16 season as the Green Knights' points lead with 21. She was one of six SNC players with 10 or more points a year ago—Reaghan Chadwick (18), Emily Chandler (18), Kylie Gazzolo (15), Jillian Kosteck (12), and Myranda Haynes (10) were the others. … Chadwick was the team's goal-scoring leader with 11—one more than Roethlisberger—while Chandler owned a team-leading 12 assists, also one more than Roethlisberger. … Leigh Grall appeared in 19 of the team's 27 games in goal last season, compiling a 1.56 goals-against-average and a .917 save percentage. … Brianna Kelly made nine appearances between the pipes, posting a 2.15 GAA and a .903 save percentage. … St. Norbert played eight overtime games last season, going 2-2-4—beating Saint Mary's and St. Scholastica by identical 3-2 OT scores, falling to UW-Stevens Point (1-0) and Adrian (3-2), and tying Lake Forest (2-2), Marian (1-1 and 1-1), and Lake Forest (0-0). … All four of the Green Knights' ties came during St. Norbert's season-ending seven-game unbeaten streak (3-0-4). … The Green Knights outscored their opponents 6-50—including 20-10 in the first period and 24-13 in the third. … St. Norbert scored first in 13 of its 15 wins this season, going 13-2-3 when netting the opening goal. SNC won just twice—finishing 2-7-0—when its opponent tallied the first goal.