NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team hits the road on Thursday, as the Cardinals travel to the Northfield Ice Arena for a 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest against St. Olaf.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1-1 MIAC, 2-1-1 Overall) at St. Olaf Oles (0-2-0 MIAC, 1-4-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 11-12, 2016 | Blaine, Minn. * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals scored two goal in each of their MIAC games against Bethel last weekend, falling to the Royals 6-2 in last Friday's conference-opener at the Schwan's Super Rink, while bouncing back for a 2-2 tie in the teams' rematch a day later at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | BU Recap 1 * BU Recap 2
• St. Olaf—November 11-12, 2016 | Northfield, Minn. * Blaine, Minn.: The Oles came up empty in their conference-opening series against Hamline last weekend, falling 3-2 at the Northfield Ice Arena on Friday, before being blanked 2-0 in the teams' rematch at Oscar Johnson Arena a day later | HU Recap 1 * HU Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf—A Year Ago:
• November 20, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's coach Terry Mannor has told his players over and over and over again—there is no easy win in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. And the Cardinals learned that first-hand in their conference showdown against St. Olaf. Fortunately for Saint Mary's, it may not have been, but when the final horn sounded it was a win—a hard-fought, 2-1 victory over the Oles at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• November 21, 2015 * Northfield, Minn.: Saint Mary's was good in its MIAC opener against St. Olaf—and even better in the rematch. Thanks to Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) and McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.). The duo—who accounted for both Saint Mary's goals in Friday's 2-1 win—put the Cardinal offense on their backs for a second straight game as Henderson and Parent accounted for all three goals in a 3-1 conference victory at the Northfield Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Oles conclude their two-game conference series on Saturday with a 2 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Last Friday's 6-2 loss against Bethel snapped the Cardinals' two-game, season-opening winning streak—Saint Mary's had kicked off their 2016-17 campaign in winning fashion with victories over both Marian and St. Norbert on Oct. 28-29. … With their 2-2 tie against Bethel last Saturday, three of the Cardinals' four games have now been decided by one goal or less—Saint Mary's opened the season with one-goal wins over Marian (4-3) and St. Norbert (5-4). … Saint Mary's four goals against Bethel last weekend came from four different players—Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) and Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.) scored the Cardinals' two goals vs. the Royals on Friday, while Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) and Jane Hannula (Coon Rapids, Minn.) netted Saint Mary's two goals in the 2-2 tie a day later … Saint Mary's 13 goals have come from six different players, led by Hafiz and Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) with three each. … Hafiz has had at least one point in all four of the Cardinals' games this season—including two-point showings in each of her first three games in a Saint Mary's uniform. … Hafiz had a goal and an assist in wins over Marian and St. Norbert, while adding two assists against Bethel on Friday, and scoring one of the team's two goals on Saturday. … Hafiz's goal at 9:50 of the opening period against Marian was her first collegiate goal—as well as the Cardinals' first goal of the season. … Hafiz heads into this weekend's games against St. Olaf leading the team in assists (4) and points (7). … Five of the Cardinals' 13 goals have come on special teams—four power-play and one shorthanded. … Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.) made 20 saves in Saint Mary's 2-2 tie against Bethel last Saturday. The 20 saves were one shy of her season high, a 21-save effort in the Cardinals' win over Marian on Oct. 28. … Marah Shields (Mitford, Mich.) posted a season-best 32 saves in Saint Mary's 5-4 win against St. Norbert on Oct. 29. … Corcoran owns a 2.48 goals-against-average and an .893 save percentage, while Shields has a 5.40 GAA and an .862 save percentage. … Saint Mary's has scored six of its 13 goals in the third period, while the Cardinals' opponents have netted seven of their 15 goals in the game's final 20 minutes. … The Cardinals have not allowed a first-period goal all season. … The Cardinals have scored first in three of their four games—going 1-1-1. Saint Mary's is 1-0-0 when its opponent scores first. … Saint Mary's wins over Marian and St. Norbert on Oct. 28-29 mark the first time the Cardinals have opened the year with back-to-back wins since beating the same two teams to open the 2010-11 season. … The Cardinals' combined nine goals in their season-opening weekend were the most in a two-game weekend since netting nine in a sweeping Marian 6-0 and 3-2 on Jan. 9-10, 2010. … Saint Mary's and St. Norbert scored seven third-period goals in their nonconference game on Oct. 29—including five in the game's final 1:33.
 
Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• After opening the season with a 2-0 win over UW-Stevnes Point, the Oles have dropped four straight. … St. Olaf has been held to two goals or less in all five games this season. … Two of St. Olaf's four losses have been 2-0 shutouts—vs. UW-Eau Claire on Sept. 9 and against Hamline last Saturday. … Friday's game against Saint Mary's is the fifth home game of the season for the Oles. … Jane Vezina and Megan Skelly accounted for St. Olaf's two goals in the Oles' 3-2 loss to Hamline last Friday. … Their goals against Hamline last Friday were the team-leading second of the season for both Skelly and Vezina. … Xandi Swedberg is the team-leader in assists with two, while seven other Oles have collected one assist. … Skelly and Vezina share the team's points lead (2) with Swedberg and Hannah Forliti. … Cassie Alexander made 22 saves in last Friday's 3-2 loss to Hamline, while Mae Moris had 34 saves—including 15 in the second period—in St. Olaf's 2-0 loss the following day. … The Oles have used three different goalies through five games this season. Alexander has compiled a 1.51 goals-against-average and a .945 save percentage in two starts, while Moris boasts a 3.05 GAA and .902 save percentage in two starts, and Hailey Sampson allowed two goals and stopped 26 of the 28 shots she faced in her one start. … St. Olaf has scored six goals this season—three in the second period and three in the third. … The Oles have been outscored 3-0 in the game's opening 20 minutes. … St. Olaf scored first in their lone win thus far this season, while going 0-4-0 when their opponent nets the game's first goal.