By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team hits the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Don Roberts Ice Arena for the second game of their two-game MIAC series against nationally ranked Gustavus. Game time is slated for 2 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-2-1 MIAC, 2-5-1 Overall) at No. 4 Gustavus Gusties (4-0-1 MIAC, 7-0-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Night:
• Friday, December 6, 2019 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.) and Lauryn Folker (Cody, Wyo.) scored goals and Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.) made 44 saves, as the Cardinals battled No. 4 Gustavus to a 2-2 conference tie | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
• January 25, 2019 * Don Roberts Ice Arena * St. Peter, Minn.: Gustavus erupted for three goals in the first 3:18 of the second period — including back-to-back goals 23 seconds apart — as the Gusties dealt the Cardinals a 6-0 setback | Recap
• January 26, 2019 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: For the fourth time in their last six games, the Cardinals finished 60 minutes of regulation deadlocked — this time a 1-1 stalemate with Gustavus. And for the fifth time this season, the game would remain a tie, as Saint Mary's and Gustavus closed out their two-game conference series with a 1-1 decision | Recap
• February 21, 2019 * Don Roberts Ice Arena * St. Peter, Minn.: The Cardinals, making their first post-season appearance since 2016, could not stifle Gustavus' high-powered offensive attack, as the Gusties scored twice in the second period and three more times in the third in dealing Saint Mary's a 5-0 setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until Jan. 4-5, when they return home to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for a pair of nonconference games. Saint Mary's will face UW-Stevens Point at 7 p.m. on Jan. 4, before entertaining Marian at 2 p.m. the following afternoon.
• Gustavus: The Gusties are back in action for a pair of nonconference games against UW-River Falls next week. GAC and UWRF will square off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at W.H. Hunt Arena in River Falls, Wis., before returning to the Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn., for Friday's 7 p.m. rematch.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Friday's 2-2 tie against Gustavus was the Cardinals' first overtime game of the season. … With their 3-1 win and 4-1 loss to St. Catherine on Nov. 22-23, the Cardinals have now split their first two conference series — winning the first game and dropping the second each time. … With their 3-1 victory over St. Catherine on Nov. 22, the Cardinals have now scored three or more goals in their wins this season — Saint Mary's netted a season-high four goals in beating Concordia 4-3 on Nov. 15. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been held to one goal in each of their last four losses. … With their two games against No. 4 Gustavus, five of the Cardinals' first nine games will be against teams ranked in 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 on Nov. 9. … Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.) and Lauryn Folker (Cody, Wyo.) netted Saint Mary's two goals against Gustavus Friday. … With her goal against Gustavus, Zebro moved into a tie for the team lead (3) with Anya Hafiz (Woodbury). Folker, Kayla Henning (Burnsville, Minn.), Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.), and Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) are all second to Zebro and Hafiz with two goals each. … Amber Miller (Kasson, Minn.) and Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) share the team lead in both assists (3) and are both tied with Zebro for the team lead in points with four. … Zebro's two-goal game in Saint Mary's 4-3 win over Concordia on Nov. 15 was her third collegiate multiple-goal game. The sophomore also scored two goals against both Marian and UW-River Falls last season. … Miller's goal against Adrian on Nov. 2 was her first as a Cardinal. … Five of the Cardinals' 16 goals this season have come on the power play. … Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.) stopped a season- and career-high 44 shots — including 19 in the third period — against Gustavus Friday. … Ziakas — who has made 30 or more saves give times in her collegiate career — enters Saturday's rematch with the Gusties boasting a 2.59 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage. … Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.) enters Saturday's game against Gustavus boasting a 2.35 goals-against-average and a .919 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. … Saint Mary's has scored eight of its 16 goals this season in the second period. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored 10 of its 20 goals in the third period. … Saint Mary's has scored first in six of its eight games, going 1-4-1 … Saint Mary's is 2-1-1 when leading after two periods, while going 0-3-0 when trailing after two. … The Cardinals' 4-3 win over Concordia on Nov. 22 was the first collegiate coaching win for Cardinal HC Sarah Murray. … Saint Mary's 3-2 loss to Adrian on Nov. 2 snapped its four-year, season-opening winning streak. … 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.
 
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Gustavus enters Saturday's conference rematch against Saint Mary's ranked No. 4 in the latest USCHO.com Poll. … With Friday's 2-2 tie against Saint Mary's, Gustavus pushed its season-opening unbeaten streak to eight (7-0-1). The tie did, however, snap the Gusties' seven-game season-opening winning streak. … The Gusties have allowed just six goals through eight games this season — including shutout wins over Concordia-WI (5-0), UW-Eau Claire (1-0), St. Catherine (5-0), and Augsburg (1-0). … Clara Billings and Kristina Press enter Saturday's game against Saint Mary's leading the Gusties in goals with five, two more than Jordyn Peterson. … The Gusties 22 goals have come from nine different players. … Molly McHugh owns a team-best six assists, while Press boasts a team-high seven points, one more than both McHugh and Billings. … Billings has netted two of the Gusties' eight game-winning goals, with Press, Kristen Cash, Hailey Holland, Jamie Byrne, and Emily Olson scoring the other six. … Gustavus has scored five power-play goals. On the flip side, the Gusties have not allowed a special teams goal all season. … Gustavus has used three different goalies this season — Emila Helms-Leslie (3 GP, 0.33 GAA, .978 save %), Francesca Gerardi (3 GP, 0.50 GAA, .960 save %), and Katie McCoy (3 GP, 1.30 GAA, .937 save %). … Helms-Leslie has stopped 44 of the 45 shots she's faced, while McCoy owns a team-leading 59 saves and Gerardi has stopped 24. … The Gusties have outscored their opponents 22-6 — including 9-1 in the second period. … GAC has scored first in seven of its eight games this season.