By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's hockey team kicks off its final regular-season two-game conference series against St. Olaf on Friday, as the Cardinals travel to the St. Olaf Ice Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Oles.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-8-4 MIAC, 7-10-6 Overall) at St. Olaf Oles (0-13-3 MIAC, 0-20-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats | Live Video | MIAC Playoff Scenarios
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 8-9, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn./Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals dropped a pair of games to nationally ranked Hamline last weekend, falling to the Pipers 6-1 at TRIA Rink last Friday, before dropping a 7-1 decision on their home ice at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena the following afternoon | HU Recap 1 * HU Recap 2
• St. Olaf—February 8-9, 2019 * Blaine, Minn./Northfield, Minn.: The Oles picked up one conference point against Bethel in the teams' two-game MIAC series last weekend. St. Olaf suffered a 6-1 setback to BU at Schwan's Super Rink last Friday, before rebounding to earn a 4-4 tie with the Royals the following day at the St. Olaf Ice Arena | BU Recap 1 * BU Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
• February 16, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: There was plenty to play for the Cardinals in the first game of their two-game conference series against St. Olaf. Not only was it the Cardinals' final home game of the regular season, but it was also Senior Night for the team's six seniors — and, to top it all off, the Cardinals needed a win to remain in MIAC Playoff contention. And much to the delight of head coach Greg Moore, the Cardinals played well under pressure, blanking the visiting Oles 4-0 at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena to keep those post-season hopes alive | Recap
• February 17, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: When Saint Mary's headed to the Northfield Ice Arena, for the second game of their conference series against St. Olaf, it was knowing that their hopes of a berth in the MIAC Playoffs depended on the Cardinals coming away with a win. And though the Cardinals rallied twice in what turned out to be a rollercoaster of a game, they were unable to rally a third time — and a win, and that post-season invitation, would not be in the cards — as Saint Mary's dropped a 7-3 decision to the Oles | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Oles return to the ice on Saturday, heading to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for a 4 p.m. conference rematch.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• Friday's game at St. Olaf is the final road game of the season for the Cardinals, who are 3-5-5 away from the Saint Mary's Ice Arena this season. … The Cardinals head into this weekend's two-game series against St. Olaf sitting in sixth place, just three points back of Concordia for the fifth and final MIAC Playoff spot. St. Thomas (14-0-2), Hamline (13-1-2), Augsburg (9-3-4), and Gustavus (9-3-4) have already locked up post-season berths. With four points at stake this weekend, the Cardinals need to claim at least a win and a tie against the Oles, while Concordia must lose twice to Augsburg. Saint Mary's holds the head-to-head tiebreaker against Concordia, thanks to its 1-1 tie and 2-1 win earlier this year. … The Cardinals' 6-1 and 7-1 losses to nationally ranked Hamline last weekend marked just the second and third time in the last 10 games that the outcome was not decided by one goal or less. … The Cardinals have now gone into overtime in seven of their last 13 games — including six that have ended in ties. … The Cardinals' six ties this season tie the single-season school record, last accomplished during the 2011-12 season, when Saint Mary's finished the year 7-12-6. … Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.) netted the Cardinals' only goal against Hamline last Friday, while Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) — who assisted on Wendt's goal last Friday — netted Saint Mary's lone goal in last Saturday's rematch last Saturday. … Wendt had her season- and career-high three-game goal-scoring streak snapped in last Saturday's loss to Hamline. … Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.) heads into this weekend's conference series against St. Olaf leading the team with seven goals, one more than both Wendt and Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.). … Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) picked up her team-leading 10th assist of the season against Bethel on Feb. 2. … Ryan and Wendt share the team lead in points with 13, one more than Moser, while Chrastka is fourth with 11. … Zebro recorded her second collegiate two-goal game on Jan. 8 against nationally ranked UW-River Falls, scoring the first two of the Cardinals' three goals vs. the Falcons. Zebro also had a two-goal game against Marian on Oct. 27. … Saint Mary's 37 goals this season have come from 11 different players, while 15 Cardinals have recorded at least one point. … Saint Mary's seven game-winning goals this season have come from five different players — Ryan (2), Moser, Zebro, Chrastka, Kourtney Jancze (Stillwater, Minn.), and Delaney Wolf (Bismarck, N.D.). … The Cardinals boast six players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season — Jancze, Zebro, Chrastka, Lexie Budensiek (Farmington, Minn.), Carson Sheridan (Waunakee, Wis.), and Lauren Folker (Cody, Wyo.). … Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.) made a season-high 37 saves against Gustavus on Jan. 26. … Ziakas' 37-save effort against Gustavus on Jan. 26 was just four shy of her career high. … Ziakas heads into this weekend's games against St. Olaf boasting a 1.85 goals-against-average and a .932 save percentage in 10 appearances, while Ashley Corcoran (Red Wing, Minn.) owns a 2.02 GAA and .935 save percentage in three games and Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.) — who recorded a season-high 31 saves against Hamline last Saturday — has compiled a 3.07 GAA and .896 save percentage in a team-leading 10 starts. … Ziakas leads the goalie corps with 302 saves, with Keeley second with 225. … All three Cardinal goalies have posted at least one shutout this season. Keeley stopped all 28 shots she faced in Saint Mary's 1-0 win over St. Catherine on Jan. 19 — it was her second shutout of the season. The freshman also stopped all 16 shots in notching her first collegiate shutout — in her first collegiate start — against Marian on Oct. 27. Corcoran stopped all 22 shots she faced against Saint Benedict on Nov. 30 en route to her first shutout of the season and second of her collegiate career; while Ziakas posted her first collegiate shutout in the Cardinals' first meeting with UW-Stevens Point on Dec. 8, stopping all 24 Pointer shots. … Corcoran finished with a season-high 39 saves against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 20 — including 20 in the game's opening 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's games against fifth-ranked Hamline last weekend were the fifth and sixth against a nationally ranked opponent this season. The Cardinals also played a pair of games against then-No. 9 St. Thomas on No. 9-10, faced then-No. 10 UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 20, and squared off against then-sixth-ranked UW-River Falls on Jan. 8. … Six of the nine goals scored between Saint Mary's and Saint Benedict on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 were scored in the first period. The Cardinals scored all three of their goals in their 3-0 win vs. Saint Benedict on Nov. 20 in the opening period, while the Bennies netted three of their five tallies in their 5-1 win the following day in the game's first 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's has scored first 12 times this season — including all seven of its wins and five of its six ties. The Cardinals are still searching for their first win (0-10-1) when their opponent scores first. … Saint Mary's is 7-1-2 when leading after two periods, but are winless (0-8-1) when trailing heading into the third period. … The Cardinals' six goals in their 6-3, season-opening win over St. Norbert equaled their single-game season high from a year ago. … The Cardinals' 6-3 loss to nationally ranked UW-River Falls on Jan. 8 was their final nonconference game of the season. Saint Mary's finished 3-2-2 in its seven non-league games. … With their 6-3 season-opening win over St. Norbert on Oct. 26, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of their last four seasons. … Thanks to their 6-3 win over St. Norbert and 4-0 victory over Marian, the Cardinals have now swept those two teams to open each of the last three seasons.
 
Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | 2018-19 Statistics
• The Oles' 4-4 tie against Bethel last Saturday snapped their season-high nine-game losing streak. It did, however, extend St. Olaf's winless streak to 23 (0-20-3). … Two of St. Olaf's three ties this season have come on their home ice, where the Oles are 0-12-2. St. Olaf is 0-8-1 on the road this season. … Maddie Anderson netted St. Olaf's lone goal in last Friday's 6-1 loss to Bethel, while senior Kalli McCullen recorded her first collegiate hat trick — on Senior Day — and Jackie LaFaive added the other goal in Saturday's 4-4 tie with the Royals. … Jane Vezina enters the weekend against Saint Mary's leading the team in both goals (15) and points (22). … Xandi Swedberg is the team's assist leader with 13. … Riley Anderson is second to Vezina in both goals (9) and points (18). … Swedberg (18) and McCullen (12) join Vezina and Riley Anderson as Oles who have recorded 10 or more points this season. … The Oles have scored 15 power-play goals, led by Riley Anderson with five and Vezina with three, while Vezina (2) and Riley Anderson (1) have netted St. Olaf's three short-handed tallies. … McCullen's hat trick against Bethel last Saturday was St. Olaf's third of the season — Vezina scored three goals against both Saint Benedict and Bethel earlier this year. … The Oles have used five different goalies this season. Sam Klemann has made a team-leading 14 appearances, compiling a 3.73 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage. Kaitlyn Pellicci (8 GP, 4.93 GAA, .886 save %), Grace Boswell-Healey (6 GP, 4.94 GAA, .884 save %), Mae Moris (2 GP, 6.83 GAA, .878 save %), and Ivy Shonka (1 GP, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 save %) have also seen time between the pipes. … Klemann posted a career-high 48 saves in last Saturday's 4-4 tie with Bethel. … St. Olaf has been outscored 102-31 through 23 games — including 40-10 in the second period and 36-8 in the third. … St. Olaf has scored first in nine of its 23 games, going 0-9-1, while owning a 0-12-2 mark when its opponent scores first. … St. Olaf has been involved in eight games decided by one goal or less (0-5-3) and have played in 15 games that have been decided by three or more goals (0-14-1). … St. Olaf has led after two periods just twice through 23 games (0-1-1). The Oles are 0-19-2 when tied or trailing heading into the third period.