By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team steps out of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Alumni Memorial Arena for the first of two nonconference games against Lake Forest. Opening faceoff is slated for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-6-0 Overall) at Lake Forest Foresters (8-3-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 1, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals gave up a goal 5:11 into the first period and another with 30 seconds remaining in regulation in falling to Williams 2-0 at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• Lake Forest—December 5, 2017 * Lake Forest, Ill.: The Foresters scored early, and often, in handing Aurora a 5-1 setback in the program's first outdoor game, held at the Winter Club | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Lake Forest—A Year Ago:
• January 6, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's took the ice against Lake Forest having not played since knocking off UW-Stevens Point 3-1 on Dec. 10. Lake Forest entered the nonconference matchup also on the heels of a lengthy layoff—the Foresters had not seen action since sweeping Finlandia 10-1 and 9-1 on Dec. 2-3. Unfortunately for Saint Mary's, it was the Foresters' offense that was able to kick off the rust in a timely manner, as Lake Forest handed the Cardinals a 4-0 nonconference setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• January 7, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: Lake Forest erupted for three goals in the first period and goalie Jacque Rogers stymied the Cardinals for a second straight night, as the Foresters dealt Saint Mary's a 5-0 setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Foresters return to Alumni Memorial Rink on Sunday for the second game of their two-game nonconference series. Opening faceoff is slated for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Last Monday's game against Williams was the seventh home game of the season for the Cardinals. After winning just once in 12 home games a year ago (1-8-3), Three of the Cardinals' five wins this season have come at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. … After this weekend's two games at Lake Forest, the Cardinals will play their next three contests on their home ice. … Saint Mary's 2-1 win over Saint Benedict on Dec. 2 was the first overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, who went 1-1-3 in their five overtime games a year ago. … The Cardinals erupted for a season-high six goals in their 6-2 win over Saint Benedict on Dec. 2. … Saint Mary's six goals vs. the Blazers were the most since the Cardinals scored six times in beating St. Olaf 6-3 on Nov. 17, 2016. … The Cardinals, who snapped a three-game losing streak with their 6-2 win over Saint Benedict on Dec. 1, scored more goals against the Blazers in that Dec. 1 game (6) than they had in the previous five games combined (5). … The Cardinals have scored 19 goals in their five wins this season, while managing just a combined four goals in their six losses. … Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) and Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) each recorded two-goal games against Saint Benedict on Dec. 1-2. Cwik scored twice against the Blazers on Dec. 1 to record his first multiple-goal game, while Hafiz scored both goals in Saint Mary's overtime win of the Blazers the following day. It was Hafiz's third two-goal game of her two-year collegiate career. … Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) assisted on three of the Cardinals' six goals vs. CSB on Dec. 1 en route to her first collegiate three-point game, while Lauren Rogers (Barrington, Ill.) added two assists to her second-period goal for her first three-point game in a Cardinal uniform. … Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.), who scored her team-leading sixth goal against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 25, has scored more goals this season (6) than she had in her first two collegiate seasons combined (5). … Wendt recorded her first collegiate hat trick—scoring the Cardinals' first three goals in their 5-3 win over Marian on Oct. 27. The Cardinal junior followed that up with a pair of goals in Saint Mary's 3-1 victory over St. Norbert the following day. … Wendt's hat trick was Saint Mary's first since Jamie Henderson (Madison, Wis.) scored three times against Hamline on Feb. 20, 2017. … Molly Abraham (Sterling Heights, Mich.) collected her second collegiate two-goal game in the Cardinals' 3-1 win over nationally ranked St. Thomas on Nov. 11. … Mady Bodick (Savage, Minn.) recorded her first collegiate multiple-point game with a goal and an assist vs. St. Thomas on Nov. 11. … Saint Mary's has two players—Bodick and Rogers—who have collected their first collegiate goals this season. … Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) assisted on two of the Cardinals' five goals against Marian on Oct. 28, earning the freshman her first collegiate multiple-point game. … Wendt heads into this weekend's nonconference games at Lake Forest as the team-leader in goals (6) and points (11). … Ryan is the team-leader in assists with six, one more than Wendt and Moser. … Ryan is also second to Wendt in points with six, while Hafiz, Cwik, Bodick, and Moser are all third with five each. … Wendt's goal at 19:41 of the first period against Marian on Oct. 27 was the Cardinals' first goal of the season. … Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.)—who picked up the win against St. Norbert in her first collegiate start on Oct. 28, stopping 28 of the Green Knights' 29 shots—made a career-high 37 saves in the Cardinals' 5-0 loss to St. Thomas on Nov. 10. … Ziakas has compiled a 2.67 GAA and .914 save percentage in her three starts this season. … Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.), who made 32 saves against Williams last Monday—and has made 30 or more saves four times this season—boasts a 2.27 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage. … Corcoran made a season-high 36 saves in the Cardinals' 3-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 25. … The Cardinals have netted 10 of their 23 goals in the third period. … The Cardinals are 3-1-0 when scoring first, while going 2-5-0 when they opponent nets the game's first goal. … With their wins over Marian and St. Norbert in their first two games of the season, the Cardinals opened their season 2-0-0 for the second straight year—having also opened the 2016-17 season with back-to-back wins over Marian and St. Norbert. … With their win over Marian on Oct. 27, the Cardinals have now won their last three season-openers—including back-to-back victories over the Sabres each of their last two seasons.
 
Scouting The Lake Forest Foresters:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• This weekend's games against Saint Mary's are the eighth and ninth home games of the season for the Foresters, who are 5-2-0 on their home ice this season. … With their 5-1 win over Aurora on Dec. 5—their final game before the Christmas break—the Foresters pushed their winning streak to seven straight. … Lake Forest has allowed just one goal during its current seven-game winning streak. … After opening the season with back-to-back one-goal losses to St. Thomas (3-2 and 2-1), Lake Forest has won eight of its last nine—the lone setback another one-goal loss, this time a 3-2 decision to Concordia (Wis.). … Lake Forest has outscored its opponents 74-3 in its eight wins this season—including six games in which the Foresters scored eight or more goals. … Aurora's goal at 15:55 of the second period snapped the Foresters' program-record shutout streak at 321 minutes and 49 seconds. … Amy Budde and Lexi Morgan enter this weekend's games against Saint Mary's leading the team with 12 goals each, one more than Olivia Spellmire. … Lake Forest boasts three players with 10 or more assists—Sydney Simone (15), Amanda Brunges (11), and Spellmire (10). … Spellmire boasts a team-leading 21 points and is one of 10 Foresters with 10 or more points. Simone (20), Budde ((19), Morgan (17), Brunges (16), Megan Lyke (15), Annie Dalton (12), Amanda Boisjolie (11), Kayla Griffith (11), and Kristina Bellomo (10) are the others. … The Foresters have recorded nine hat tricks, led by Spellmire with three. Budde has scored three goals in a game twice, while Brunges, Lyke, Morgan, and Simone have all done it once. … Bellomo, Dalton, and Spellmire share the team lead with two game-winning goals apiece. … Lake Forest has used three different goalies this season, led by Jacque Rogers, who has compiled a microscopic 0.53 goals-against-average and .958 save percentage in six games. Jacquie Audet owns a 1.39 GAA and .891 save percentage in five starts, while Julieana Tarantino allowed two goals (2.00 GAA) and made 12 saves (.857 save percentage) in her lone start. … Lake Forest has outscored its opponents 79-11 through 11 games—24-4 in the first period, 24-3 in the second, and 31-4 in the third. … The Foresters have scored 16 power-play goals (16-for-51, 31 percent). … The Foresters have scored first in eight of their 11 games, going 7-1-0. Lake Forest is 1-2-0 when its opponent nets the game's first goal.