By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team is back on its home ice at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Friday, as the Cardinals entertain St. Norbert for the first of two nonconference games. Opening face-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-6-2 Overall) vs. St. Norbert Green Knights (2-8-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — January 4-5, 2020 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals went 1-0-1 in its two nonconference games to kick off 2020, rallying for a 2-2 tie against UW-Stevens Point, before scoring three third-period goals in beating Marian 4-2 | UWSP Recap * Marian Recap
• St. Norbert — January 4-5, 2020 * TRIA Rink * St. Paul, Minn.: The Green Knights lost both of their nonconference games to kick off the new year, falling to Hamline 7-0, before dropping a 5-2 decision to Bethel | HU Recap * BU Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Norbert — A Year Ago:
• October 26, 2018 * Resch Olympic Pavilion * Ashwaubenon, Wis.: The Cardinals erupted for six goals — equaling their season high from a year ago — en route to a 6-3, season-opening nonconference win over the Green Knights | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Green Knights return to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena Saturday afternoon, squaring off for the second game of their two-game nonconference series. Game time is slated for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• This weekend's games against St. Norbert are the third and fourth straight home games for the Cardinals, who are 3-1-2 at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena this season. … The Cardinals, who are 1-1-2 in their last four games, have held their previous two opponents to two goals each — tying UW-Stevens Point 2-2 last Saturday, while beating Marian 4-2. … With last Saturday's 2-2 tie against UW-Stevens Point, the Cardinals have now gone into overtime in two of their last four games — with both ending in 2-2 ties. Saint Mary's battled Gustavus to a 2-2 stalemate on Dec. 6. … The Cardinals' 2-2 tie against fourth-ranked Gustavus on Dec. 6 marked the third straight year in which Saint Mary's and GAC played to an overtime draw — the Cardinals and Gusties tied 1-1 in each of the last two seasons. … Anya Hafiz scored two of Saint Mary's six goals last weekend, while also adding an assist. Carson Sheridan (Waunakee, Wis.) had the Cardinals' other goal in their 2-2 tie vs. UW-Stevens Point last Saturday, with Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.), Kayla Henning (Burnsville, Minn.), and Sam Carlson (St. Paul, Minn.) scoring the other three goals vs. Marian the following afternoon. … Carlson — whose empty net goal against Marian was her first collegiate tally — also had an assist against the Sabres for her first collegiate two-point game. … Carlson is one of two Cardinals to score their first collegiate goals this season, joining Amber Miller (Kasson, Minn.), who tallied her first goal in a Saint Mary's uniform against Adrian on Nov. 2. … With her goals against UW-Stevens Point and Marian, Hafiz moved into the team lead in goals with five, one more than Zebro. Henning is third with three goals, followed by Lauryn Folker (Cody, Wyo.), Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.), Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.), and Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) with two goals each. … Moser owns the team lead in assists with four, one more than Miller, while Hafiz is the team's points leader with seven. … 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. … The Cardinals have scored six power-play goals this season. … Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.) — who stopped a season- and career-high 44 shots — including 19 in the third period — against Gustavus on Dec. 6 — made 18 saves against UW-Stevens Point last Saturday. … Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.), meanwhile, finished with 17 saves in last Sunday's win over Marian. … Ziakas — who has made 30 or more saves five times in her collegiate career — enters this weekend's games against St. Norbert boasting a 2.36 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage. … Keeley boasts a 3.01 goals-against-average and an .891 save percentage five starts. … 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 10 of its 23 goals this season in the second period. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored 15 of its 33 goals in the third period. … With their 4-2 victory over Marian last Sunday, the Cardinals have now scored three or more goals in both of their wins this season. The Cardinals have been held to one goal in each of their last five losses. … Saint Mary's finished with a season-high 53 shots on goal in last Sunday's 4-2 win over Marian. It was the most shots on goal since putting 53 on net against Hamline on Feb. 25, 2004. … The Cardinals have scored a season-high four goals twice this season — beating Concordia 4-3 on Nov. 15 and Marian 4-2 last Sunday. … Five of the Cardinals' first nine games this season were 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, and tying (2-2) and losing (5-1) to No. 4 Gustavus on Dec. 6-7 … Saint Mary's has scored first in seven of its 11 games, going 1-4-2 … Saint Mary's is 2-1-2 when leading after two periods, while going 1-4-0 when trailing after two. … Six of the Cardinals' 11 games this season have been decided by two goals or less. … 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 St. Norbert Green Knights:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• This weekend's games against Saint Mary's are the eighth and ninth of 10 straight road games for the Green Knights, who have not played on their home ice since Nov. 29, when they dropped a 2-0 decision to UW-Stevens Point. … St. Norbert's 7-0 loss to Hamline and 5-2 setback vs. Bethel last weekend pushed its losing streak to five straight. … St. Norbert's two goals in last Saturday's 5-2 loss to Bethel equaled the total goals scored in the Green Knights' other seven loses combined. … St. Norbert has scored 10 of its 15 goals this season in its two wins — a 4-0 victory over Finlandia on Nov. 22 and a 6-1 win over the Lions in the teams' rematch the following day. … St. Norbert has been shut out in five of its eight losses this season. … Eve Parker and Ava Jaschke scored the Green Knights' two goals in last Saturday's 5-2 loss to Bethel. … Parker's goal against Bethel last Saturday was her team-leading fourth of the season, one more than Libbie Doney and two in front of Gaby Turer. … Parker and Jordan Moore share the team lead in assists with four each, while Parker also leads the team in points with eight. … Doney and Turer have netted St. Norbert's two game-winning goals. … The Green Knights have scored four power-play goals, coming from four different players — Parker, Moore, Doney, and Hannah Hickman. … Anais Aurard and Evi Johnson have shared the goaltending duties, with Aurard playing in eight games, while Johnson has made three appearances. … Aurard owns a 3.12 goals-against-average and .875 save percentage, with Johnson sporting a 3.93 GAA and .878 save percentage. … Aurard has made a team-high 161 saves, while Johnson owns 82 stops. … St. Norbert has been outscored 36-14 this season — 12-4 in the first period, 11-3 in the second, and 13-7 in the third. … St. Norbert has scored first in both of its wins this season, but are 0-8-0 when its opponent scores first.