ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team heads to Dave Torrey Arena on Friday, as the Cardinals square off against Saint Benedict in the first game of their two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-6-2 MIAC | 7-11-3 Overall) at Saint Benedict Blazers (5-7-2 MIAC | 7-12-2 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals battled Gustavus to a split in their two-game conference series last weekend—with both team winning on the road. Gustavus scored with less than a minute to go in overtime to beat Saint Mary's 3-2 last Friday at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena, while Tori Herrmann (Elk River, Minn.) stopped all 30 shots in leading the Cardinals to a 2-0 win in the rematch a day later in St. Peter, Minn. | GAC Recap 1 * GAC Recap 2
• Saint Benedict: The Blazers managed just one conference point in their two-game MIAC series against St. Catherine last weekend. The two teams battled to a 1-1 tie last Friday in Sartell, Minn., with SCU coming away with a 4-1 victory in the rematch Saturday in St. Paul, Minn. | SCU Recap 1 * SCU Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict—A Year Ago:
• November 21, 2014 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals spotted Saint Benedict a 2-1 lead after two periods, then came storming back with a pair of third-period goals—including the game-winner by Lindsay Paschke (New Prague, Minn.) with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation—as Saint Mary's handed Saint Benedict a 3-2 MIAC setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• November 22, 2014 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals, behind goals by Mary DeBartolo (Chicago, Ill.) and McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.)—and 19 saves by Marah Shields (Milford, Mich.)—completed their conference sweep of Saint Benedict, blanking the Blazers 2-0 at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Blazers return to Dave Torrey Arena in St. Cloud, Minn., on Saturday for the second game of the teams' two-game conference series. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• With their 2-0 win over Gustavus last Saturday, the Cardinals improved to 3-2-1 in their last six games. … With their 3-2 loss and 2-0 win vs. Gustavus last weekend, the Cardinals have now had 19 of their last 20 games—and 30 of their last 33—decided by two goals or less. … With their 2-0 win over Gustavus last Saturday, the Cardinals snapped a 28-game losing streak against the Gusties. Prior to Saturday's win, the last time Saint Mary's had beaten GAC was a 2-1 win in the MIAC Tournament on March 2, 2002. … Last Friday's 3-2 loss to Gustavus was the Cardinals' third overtime game in their last four contests—the Cardinals tied Augsburg 1-1 on Jan. 29, while falling to Hamline 2-1 on Jan. 23. … The Cardinals have now played seven overtime games this season—and are still searching for their first win (0-4-3). 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. … All three of Saint Mary's ties this season have been 1-1 decisions. … Jane Hannula (Coon Rapids, Minn.) scored in both games vs. the Gusties last weekend, while Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) netted Saint Mary's other goal in last Friday's OT loss, while McKenna Parent (Anoka, Minn.) tallied the other goal in the Cardinals' 2-0 win a day later. … Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) is the team-leader in goals with 11 and points with 15. … Henderson's 11 goals are the most by a Cardinal since Haley Coolsaet netted 11 during the 2010-11 season. … Parent—who posted her first collegiate two-goal game against Concordia on Dec. 4—shares the team lead in assists (7) with Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.) and is second to Henderson in points with 14. … Lien recorded her second collegiate two-goal game against Hamline on Jan. 22. … Henderson and Parent each posted 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.) stopped a season-high 39 shots against Gustavus last Friday, and followed that up with a 30-save shutout in Saturday's 2-0 victory … Herrmann has made 30 or more saves in seven of her 11 starts this season. … Herrmann recorded her first shutout of the season—and fourth of her collegiate career—with last Saturday's 30-save effort vs. Gustavus. … Marah Shields (Milford, Mich.) has made 30 or more saves in four of her seven starts this season. … 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—has made 11 starts in goal for the Cardinals, going 6-3-2 with a 1.61 goals-against-average and .949 save percentage, with Shields (7 starts, 2.47 GAA, 940 save percentage) and Corcoran (3 starts, 2.47 GAA, .924 save percentage) close behind. … 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 seven of their wins this season (7-5-1). Saint Mary's is 0-6-2 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 (0-6-1). … 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. … 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 Saint Benedict Blazers:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• This weekend's games against Saint Mary's are the first two of three straight home games for the Blazers, who are 3-5-1 on their home ice this season. … Last Saturday's 4-1 loss to St. Catherine snapped the Blazers' three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1). … Saint Benedict's two wins during their three-game run were both against fourth-ranked St. Thomas—marking the first time CSB has swept the Tommies in more than 12 years. … With their 4-1 loss to St. Catherine last Saturday, the Blazers have now been held to one goal or less in 11 of their 12 losses this season. … Saint Benedict has scored three goals in five of its seven wins—the Blazers have netted a season-high five goals in each of their other two victories. … Aly Hoffman scored CSB's lone goal in last Friday's 1-1 tie vs. St. Catherine, while Maddie Rainey netted the Blazers' goal in their 4-1 loss the following day. … Elli Marvin heads into this weekend's games against Saint Mary's as the team leader in goals (11) and points (16). … Brigette Miller owns a team-best seven assists, and is second to Marvin in points with 15. … Marvin (11) and Miller (8) have combined for 19 of the team's 36 goals. … Marvin boasts a team-high three game-winning goals, while she and Miller have each scored two of the team's six power-play goals. … Angel Hillstrom and Dory Johnson have shared the goaltending duties for the Blazers, with Hillstrom compiling a 2.30 goals-against-average and .933 save percentage in 14 starts, while Johnson boasts a 4.04 GAA and .867 save percentage in seven starts. … Hillstrom recorded a career-high 48 saves against St. Thomas on Jan. 30. It was the most saves by a Blazer goalie since Johnson stopped 49 shots against St. Thomas on Feb., 21, 2014. … The Blazers have been outscored 66-36 this season—including 34-13 in the third period. … Saint Benedict has played four overtime games this season, going 2-0-2. CSB posted 3-2 OT wins over Gustavus and Concordia (Wis.), while tying Gustavus (2-2) and St. Catherine (1-1). … The Blazers have scored first in nine of their 21 games, going 4-3-2. CSB is 3-9-0 when its opponent scores the game's first goal.