By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team returns to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena Saturday, hosting Concordia in the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Opening face-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0-0 MIAC, 1-3-0 Overall) vs. Concordia Cobbers (0-1-0 MIAC, 2-2-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Night:
• Friday, November 15, 2019 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) scored the game-winner with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, lifting the Cardinals to a 4-3 win over Concordia in the teams' conference-opener | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
• January 11, 2019 * Moorhead Sports Center * Moorhead, Minn.: Concordia scored the game-tying goal less than four minutes into the third period, as the Cobbers handed Saint Mary's its third 1-1 deadlock of 2019 | Recap
• January 12, 2019 * Moorhead Sports Center * Moorhead, Minn.: Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) scored the game-winning goal 2:35 into the overtime period, as the Cardinals collected a 2-1 win over Concordia — and took three of four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference points off the Cobbers over the weekend | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in conference play next weekend, hosting St. Catherine in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Friday, before heading to Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for the 4:30 p.m. rematch.
• Concordia: The Cobbers return home to the Moorhead Sports Center for a pair of conference games against Saint Benedict. CC and CSB will square off in a 7 p.m. contest on Friday, before completing the two-game series with a 2 p.m. matinee the following afternoon.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Friday's 4-3 win over Concordia was Sarah Murray's first collegiate victory as the Cardinals' head coach. … Three of the Cardinals' first four games have been against teams ranked in the top five of the USCHO.com Poll. Saint Mary's dropped 3-2 and 4-2 games to No. 3 Adrian on Nov. 2-3, while falling to No. 5 UW-River Falls 4-1 last Saturday. … Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.) scored two of the Cardinals' four goals in Friday's 4-3 win over Concordia, while Laura Folker (Cody, Wyo.) and Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) netted the other two. … Zebro's two-goal game was her third collegiate multiple-goal game. The sophomore also scored two goals against both Marian and UW-River Falls last season. … With her game-winning goal against Concordia Friday, Hafiz has now scored in back-to-back games and leads the team with three goals — one more than Zebro. … Folker, Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.), Kayla Henning (Burnsville, Minn.), and Amber Miller (Kasson, Minn.) have netted Saint Mary's other four goals this season. … Miller's goal against Adrian on Nov. 2 was her first as a Cardinal. … Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) leads the team with three assists, while also sharing the team lead in points (3) with Hafiz and Miller. … Four of the Cardinals' nine goals this season have come on the power play. … Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.) finished with 23 saves against Concordia on Friday. … Keeley enters Saturday's rematch boasting a 3.03 goals-against-average and a .917 save percentage. … Keeley finished with a career-high 43 saves in Saint Mary's 4-2 loss to Adrian on Nov. 3. … Keeley's 43-save effort bettered her previous career-high by 12 saves. … Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Minn.), who stopped 27 of Adrian's 30 shots in her first start of the season on Nov. 2, made 36 saves against UW-River Falls last Saturday. … Ziakas has now made 30 or more saves four times in her collegiate career — including a career-high 41 against Lake Forest on Jan. 7, 2018. … Ziakas heads into Saturday's rematch against Concordia boasting a 3.04 goals-against-average and .913 save percentage. … Saint Mary's 3-2 loss to Adrian on Nov. 2 snapped its four-year, season-opening winning streak. … Saint Mary's has scored three of its five goals this season in the second period. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored four second-period goals and five third-period tallies. … Saint Mary's has scored first in two of its four games. … The Cardinals, who made their first MIAC Tournament appearance since the 2015-16 season a year ago — and their 11th in program history — were picked to finish sixth in the MIAC Preseason Coaches Poll. … The Cardinals' six ties last season equaled the single-season school record, last accomplished during the 2011-12 season, when Saint Mary's finished the year 7-12-6.
 
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Concordia's 4-3 loss to Saint Mary's Friday snapped their two-game winning streak. … The Cobbers' loss to Saint Mary's was its third straight game decided by one goal — CC beat Northland 4-3 and 1-0 last weekend. … Both of Concordia's wins last weekend came in overtime. … The Cobbers' 4-3 victory over Northland on Nov. 8 was their first of the season. … The Cobbers' nine goals through their first four games have come from eight different players — Ally Wiitala has scored twice, while Kaitlyn Page, Sara Baumann, Amanda Flemming, Maiah McCowan, and McKenzie Oelkers has netted the others. … Page and Wiitala own Concordia's two overtime game-winning goals. … Page is the team-leader in assists with three and points with four. … Kiana Flaig and Amy Jost have shared the goaltending duties for the Cobbers, with Flaig owning three starts, while Jost has made one. … Flaig — who recorded her first collegiate shutout in last Saturday's 1-0 win over Northland — boasts a 1.97 goals-against-average and a .934 save percentage, while Jost owns a 2.96 GAA and .812 save percentage. … Concordia has scored two goals in both the first and second periods, while owning two third-period goals and two overtime tallies. CC's opponents, meanwhile have scored three first-period goals, while adding four in the second and three in the third. … The Cobbers have scored first in three of their four games, going 1-2-0. CC is 1-0-0 when its opponent scores first.