STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team steps out of conference play for a second straight night on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Ice Hawks Arena for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against UW-Stevens Point.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-6-1 Overall) at UW-Stevens Point Pointers (5-3-1 Overall)
 
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Last Night:
• Saint Mary's: UW-Eau Claire erupted for five unanswered goals—including two in both the first and second periods—as the Blugolds handed the Cardinals a 5-1 nonconference setback at Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire, Wis. | Recap
• UW-Stevens Point: The Pointers scored the game's only goal with 1:12 remaining in the opening period, as UW-Stevens Point knocked off nationally ranked Augsburg 1-0 in a nonconference game at K.B. Willett Arena in Stevens Point, Wis. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Stevens Point—Their Last Meeting:
• November 2, 2002 * Winona, Minn.: UW-Stevens Point snapped a 1-1 deadlock with a pair of third-period goals, as the Pointers handed the Cardinals a 3-1 nonconference setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• November 3, 2002 * Winona, Minn.: Less than 24 hours after the Pointers handed Saint Mary's a season-opening 3-1 loss, UW-Stevens Point erupted for three first-period goals and four more in the third period en route to a 7-0 nonconference victory over the Cardinals at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until Jan. 6-7, when they entertain Lake Forest in a pair of nonconference games at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
• UW-Stevens Point: The Pointers return to Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point, Wis., for a pair of nonconference games against St. Thomas. UWSP and UST will square off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, before completing the two-game series at 2:30 p.m. the following day.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game against UW-Eau Claire is the fourth striaght road games for the Cardinals, who do not play at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena again until Jan. 6-7, when they entertain Lake Forest in a pair of nonconference games. … The Cardinals' lone goal against the Blugolds, off the stick of Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.) 5:33 into the third period Friday evening, was their first goal since the 16:12 mark of the second period against St. Olaf on Nov. 19—a span of more than 229 scoreless minutes. … With their 5-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire Friday evening, the Cardinals have now surrendered four or more goals five times this season. … The Cardinals' six goals in their 6-3 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 17 were a season high—and the highest single-game offensive output since scoring six against both Marian and Hamline during the 2009-2010 season. … Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) recorded her first collegiate two-goal game against St. Olaf on Nov. 17, and followed that up with another goal in the teams' second meeting two days later. … Jane Hannula (Coon Rapids, Minn.), Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.), Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.), and Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) accounted for Saint Mary's other four goals in the 6-3 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 17, while Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) and Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) joined Hafiz as goal-scorers in the 4-3, Game 2 loss to the Oles. … Hafiz recorded at least one point in each of the Cardinals' first six games this season—including four multiple-point games. … Hafiz heads into Friday's nonconference game at UW-Eau Claire leading the team in all three offensive categories—goals (6), assists (4), and points (10). … Henderson is second to Hafiz in goals with four, with Cwik, Hannula, and Lien tied for third with three. … 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. … The Cardinals boast three players who have netted their first collegiate goals this season—Hafiz, Ryan, and Wendt. … Saint Mary's scored a pair of shorthanded goals against St. Olaf on Nov. 17—back-to-back tallies by Hannula and Lien less than a minute apart midway through the second period. … Nine of the Cardinals' 20 goals—including Friday's third-period power-play tally—have come on special teams—five power-play and four shorthanded. … Marah Shields (Mitford, Mich.) finished with a season-high 33 saves against UW-Eau Claire on Friday. … Shields has now made 30 or more saves in four of her five starts this season. … Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.) has stopped a season-high 30 shots in each of her last two starts. … Corcoran owns a 3.16 goals-against-average and an .888 save percentage, while Shields has a 4.31 GAA and an .883 save percentage. … Saint Mary's has scored 10 goals in the second period and nine in the third, while the Cardinals' opponents have netted 17 goals in the second and 18 in the third. … Concordia's first-period tally in last Saturday's 5-0 win over Saint Mary's marked the first time this season the Cardinals have surrendered a first-period goal—a span of 167:50 minutes without allow a first-period goal. UW-Eau Claire followed up by scoring a pair of first-period goals Friday evening. … The Cardinals have scored first in five of their nine games—going 2-2-1. Saint Mary's is 1-4-0 when its opponent scores first. … Four of the Cardinals' 10 games have 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), and added a 2-2 tie vs. Bethel and a 4-3 loss against St. Olaf. … Saint Mary's wins over Marian and St. Norbert on Oct. 28-29 marked 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 against St. Olaf on Nov. 17 and Nov. 19 are the most in a two-game weekend series since netting nine in 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 UW-Stevens Point Pointers:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of four straight home games for the Pointers, who are 1-1-0 at Ice Hawks Arena this season. … The Pointers have already played six games against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference—St. Olaf (L, 2-0/W, 5-2), Concordia (L, 3-1/T, 3-3), Gustavus (W, 3-2), and Augsburg (W, 1-0)—and still have Saint Mary's, St. Thomas (twice), Saint Benedict, and Hamline on their schedule. … With its 1-0 win over Augsburg Friday, UW-Stevens Point pushed its winning streak to three straight—having also beaten UW-Superior (2-1) and Northland (7-2). … The Pointers have not lost back-to-back games all season. … Cara Lemirande scored the game's only goal in UW-Stevens Point's 1-0 win over Augsburg Friday. … Lemirande moved into a tie for the team lead in goals (6) and points (9) with Ali Biagini entering Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's. … Ellie Punnett and Mackenzie Kratch are the team's assist leaders with five each. … Lemirande has now accounted for two of the Pointers' five game-winning goals—Maddie Monroe, Maddie Schlossmacher, and Lauren Smith have netted the other three. … Ten of UW-Stevens Point's 23 goals have come on special teams—six power-play goals and four shorthanded tallies. … Sydney Conley stopped all 20 Augsburg shots in recording the shutout for the Pointers Friday evening. … The Pointers have used three different goalies this season, led by Conley, who owns a 1.36 goals-against-average and a .948 save percentage in seven appearances. Lisa Fowle boasts a 3.64 GAA and .857 save percentage in two outings, while Marit Larson has a 2.00 GAA and .889 save percentage in her one appearance. … Conley has stopped 163 of the 172 shots she's faced this season. … The Pointers have been outscored 9-7 in the second period, but hold a commanding 11-4 scoring edge in the game's final period. … The Pointers are unbeaten (3-0-1) when scoring the game's first goal. UWSP is 2-3-0 when its opponent nets the game's first goal. … UW-Stevens Point has played one overtime game this season, tying Concordia 3-3 on Nov. 5.