WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team kicks off its two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against Augsburg on Friday, as the Cardinals entertain the Auggies in a 7 p.m. contest at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-6-2 MIAC, 4-11-2 Overall) vs. #10 Augsburg Auggies (8-2-0 MIAC, 12-5-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 20-21, 2017 * St. Paul, Minn./Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals came up empty in their two MIAC games against Hamline last weekend, losing a wild, 7-5 shootout on Friday at Oscar Johnson Arena, before dropping a 4-2 decision the following day at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | HU Recap 1 * HU Recap 2
• Augsburg—January 20-21, 2017 * Moorhead, Minn.: In a battle of league leaders, the Auggies earned a split in their two-game conference series against Concordia at the Moorhead Sports Center, falling to the Cobbers 4-1 in Game 1 last Friday, before rebounding with a 5-3 victory the following afternoon | CC Reap 1 * CC Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—A Year Ago:
• January 29, 2016 * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals headed into the first game of its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against Augsburg having been tied 0-0 after 20 minutes in three of their last five contests. So it came as no surprise to Saint Mary's coach Terry Mannor that the Cardinals and Auggies were embroiled in another scoreless tussle at Ed Saugestad Rink. Saint Mary's would score late—really late—in the second period, and Augsburg would answer with a late—really late—goal in the third period, as the teams battled to a 1-1 overtime tie | Recap
• January 30, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's scored twice in the second period—including another tally in the period's final seconds—en route to a 3-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Augsburg Saturday afternoon at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Auggies conclude their two-game conference series on Saturday, heading to Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Friday's game against Augsburg is the fifth home game in Saint Mary's last six contests. The Cardinals are still searching for their first win at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena this season (0-5-2). … The Cardinals erupted for five goals—their highest single-game offensive output since netting a season-high six goals in a 6-3 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 17—in last Friday's 7-5 loss to Hamline. … The Cardinals' six goals in their 6-3 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 17 were not only a season high, but also the highest single-game offensive output since scoring six against both Marian and Hamline during the 2009-2010 season. … With their 4-2 loss to Hamline last Saturday, the Cardinals have now scored two goals in three of their last four games. … Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) scored four goals in the Cardinals' two games against Hamline last weekend. The junior recorded her first collegiate hat trick to account for three of the Cardinals' five goals in the Cardinals' 7-5 loss to Hamline last Friday, before netting one of Saint Mary's two goals in its 4-2 loss the following day. … Henderson's hat trick marked the first time the Cardinals have had a player score three goals in a game since Mary DeBartolo did so against UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 4, 2013. … Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.) scored a goal in both games vs. the Pipers, while Kassie Lien (Grantsburg, Wis.) accounted for the Cardinals' other tally. … With her goals last weekend, Wendt has now scored in three straight games. … With her four-goal weekend against Hamline, Henderson moved into the team lead with eight goals, two more than Jane Hannula (Coon Rapids, Minn.)—who scored a goal in both games against St. Thomas on Jan. 13-14—and Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.). … Henderson also owns a team-high five assists and moved into the team lead in points with 13, three more than Hafiz, who recorded at least one point in each of the Cardinals' first six games this season—including four multiple-point games. … 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. … Hannah Croonquist's (St. Paul, Minn.) first-period tally against UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 10 was the first of her collegiate career. … Croonquist became the fourth player to net her first goal as a Cardinal this season, joining Wendt, Hafiz, and Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.). … Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.), who made a season-high 41 saves against St. Thomas on Jan. 13, finished with 25 saves against the Pipers last Friday, while Marah Shields (Mitford, Mich.) stopped 30 shots in the teams' rematch last Saturday … Corcoran's 41-save effort against the Tommies was one shy of her career high. … Shields also had a 41-save performance in the team's rematch with the Tommies on Jan. 14. … Corcoran has now stopped 30 or more shots in five of her last six starts, while Shields has made 30 or more saves in six of her eight starts this season. … Corcoran owns a team-leading 3.22 goals-against-average and an .900 save percentage, while Shields has a 4.21 GAA and an .886 save percentage. … Eleven of the Cardinals' 37 goals have come on special teams—seven power-play and four shorthanded. … Saint Mary's has scored 13 goals in the second period and 17 in the third, while the Cardinals' opponents have netted 20 goals in the second and 30 in the third. … With their two overtime games against St. Thomas on Jan. 13-14, the Cardinals have now played six games 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, a 4-3 loss against St. Olaf, and a 2-2 tie and 3-2 loss to St. Thomas. … The Cardinals' 3-2 loss to St. Thomas on Jan. 21 marked the first time in three overtime contests that the game did not end in a tie. … The Cardinals' 3-1 win over UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 10 snapped their season-high five-game losing streak. … The Cardinals have scored first in seven of their 17 games—going 3-2-2. Saint Mary's is 1-9-0 when its opponent scores first. … 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 were 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 Augsburg Auggies:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Friday's game at Saint Mary's is the fourth straight road game for the Auggies, who are 6-4 away from Ed Saugestad Rink this season. … The Auggies head into Friday's game at Saint Mary's having won three of their last four. … With eight games remaining in the regular season, Augsburg's 12 wins are already one away from tying last year's win total (13-10-3). … Prior to last Saturday's 5-3 win over Concordia, the Auggies previous three games had been decided by a 4-1 score—Augsburg swept Bethel by identical 4-1 and 4-1 counts, before falling to the Cobbers 4-1. … Six of Augsburg's 17 games have been decided by one goal—including four 1-0 decisions in splits against Gustavus and UW-Eau Claire. … Darby Lindgren scored a goal in both of the Auggies' games against Concordia last weekend, while Megan Robertson, Jacie Hoehn, Bridget Wagner, and Emily Ach accounted for Augsburg's other four goals. … Callen Naasz heads into this weekend's games against Saint Mary's owning a team-leading six goals. … Naasz also shares the team lead in points (10) with Wagner. … Valerie Whichello is the team's assist leader with seven. … Fifteen different Auggies have scored goals so far this season, and 20 different Auggies have recorded either a goal or assist. … Wagner, Lindgren, and Danielle Heitkamp have all scored a team-best two game-winning goals. … Twelve of Augsburg's 40 goals have come on the power play. The Auggies also own two short-handed tallies. … Augsburg has used three different goalies this season, led by Rebecca Sonnek, who has posted a 1.15 goals-against-average and .950 save percentage in 15 appearances. … Sonnek's 1.15 GAA, .950 save percentage and .692 winning percentage are all tops among MIAC goalies. … Sonnek owns three shutouts, while McKenna Manalli and Leah Patrick have also posted a shutout for the Auggies this season. … Augsburg's 1.41 team goals-against-average ranks No. 11 in all of NCAA Division III … Augsburg has outscored its opponents by a 40-24 mark, with the 24 goals allowed the fewest allowed among MIAC team. … Augsburg has outscored its opponents in all three periods—13-9 in the first, 16-8 in the second, and 10-7 in the third. … Augsburg has played one overtime game this season, beating St. Catherine 2-1 on Nov. 11. … The Auggies have scored first in 13 of their 17 games, going 12-1-0. Augsburg is 0-4-0 when its opponent scores first.