By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team returns to conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals entertain Bethel in the first game of their two-game MIAC series. Opening face-off at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-5-1 MIAC, 5-8-2 Overall) vs. Bethel Royals (2-6-0 MIAC, 4-11-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — January 17-18, 2020 * St. Thomas Ice Arena/Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Mendota Heights/Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals dropped both of their games against conference-leading St. Thomas last weekend, falling to the Tommies 5-2 on the road on Friday, before falling 3-0 in the teams' rematch the following afternoon | UST Recap 1 * UST Recap 2
• Bethel — January 17-18, 2020 * Ed Saugestad Rink/Schwan's Super Rink * Minneapolis/Blaine, Minn.: The Royals came up empty in their two conference games against Augsburg, failing to net a goal on the weekend in dropping 2-0 and 6-0 decisions | Augsburg Recap 1 * Augsburg Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
• February 1, 2019 * Schwan's Super Rink * Blaine, Minn.: For the sixth time this season, the Cardinals played a game in which a winner could not be decided through 60 minutes of regulation — or five minutes of overtime — as Saint Mary's battled Bethel to a 2-2 MIAC stalemate | Recap
• February 2, 2019 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals go a first-period goal from Bailey Wendt (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and a third-period tally from Kourtney Jancze (Stillwater, Minn.) to beat the Royals 2-1 | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Royals head to the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., for the second game of their two-game conference series on Saturday. Opening face-off is set for 4 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Last Friday's game at St. Thomas was the first road game of 2020 for the Cardinals, who have played five of their last six games on their home ice. … Saint Mary's has recorded all five of its wins — and both of its ties — at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. … The Cardinals' 5-2 loss to St. Thomas last Friday snapped their three-game winning streak and four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1). … The Cardinals' three-game winning streak was their longest since the 2015-16 season, while their four-game unbeaten run was the longest since going 3-0-1 during the 2014-15 campaign. … With their 4-2 win over St. Norbert on Jan. 10, the Cardinals have now scored a season-high four goals three times this season — having also beaten Concordia 4-3 on Nov. 15 and Marian 4-2 last Sunday. … Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) scored both of the Cardinals' goals in last Friday's 5-2 loss to St. Thomas. It was the fourth time in her collegiate career that the senior has netted two goals in a game. … Hafiz has now scored three of the Cardinals' last four goals. … Hafiz is the third Cardinal to record a two-goal game this season, joining Delaney Calabrese (West Dundee, Ill. / v. St. Norbert on Jan. 10) and Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn. / v. Concordia on Nov. 15). … 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. … Calabrese (West Dundee, Ill.) scored her first two collegiate goals against St. Norbert in Saint Mary's 4-2 win on Jan. 10. … Kaley Manglitz's (Onalaska, Wis.) OT game-winner against St. Norbert on Jan. 11 was her first in a Cardinal uniform. … Calabrese and Manglitz are the third and fourth players to record their first collegiate goal this season, being joined by Sam Carlson (St. Paul, Minn.) and Amber Miller (Kasson, Minn.). … Hafiz was held without a point in the Cardinals' 4-0 rematch against St. Thomas last Saturday, snapping her season- and career-high six-game point-scoring streak. Hafiz scored five goals and added three assists during her six-game run. … Hafiz enters this weekend's conference series against Bethel leading the team in goals with eight, three more than Zebro, while also leading the team in points with 12. … Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) owns a team-high six assists, two better than Hafiz and Miller. … 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 33 saves against St. Thomas last Friday. … Ziakas — who has made 30 or more saves six times in her collegiate career — enters the Cardinals' Bethel series boasting a 2.62 goals-against-average and a .913 save percentage. … Jordan Keeley (St. James, Minn.) posted a 36-save showing against the Tommies in last Saturday's 4-0 loss and has made 30 or more saves in a game three times in her first two years as a Cardinal. … Keeley, who boasts a 2.60 goals-against-average and a .906 save percentage in seven starts, 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 13 of its 30 goals this season in the second period, where they hold a 13-12 scoring advantage. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been outscored 13-6 in the first period and 19-11 in the third. … Saint Mary's finished with a season-high 53 shots on goal in its 4-2 win over Marian on Jan. 5. It was the most shots on goal since putting 53 on net against Hamline on Feb. 25, 2004. … With their 2-1 win over St. Norbert on Jan. 11, the Cardinals have now played three overtime games this season — going 1-0-2. Along with their win over the Green Knights, Saint Mary's has also tied UW-Stevens Point and Gustavus, with both games ending 2-2. … 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. … 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 eight of its 15 games, going 1-5-2. The Cardinals are 4-3-0 when their opponent scores first. … Saint Mary's is 2-1-2 when leading after two periods, while going 1-6-0 when trailing after two. … Eight of the Cardinals' 14 games this season have been decided by two goals or less. … The Cardinals' 4-3 win over Concordia on Nov. 15 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 Bethel Royals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Bethel is in the midst of playing four of five contests on their home ice — the lone exception, Friday's showdown at Saint Mary's. … The Royals have won just once at the Schwan's Super Rink, going 1-5-0, while BU owns a 3-6-0 record on the road. … Bethel failed to score a goal in its conference series against Augsburg last weekend, being outscored 8-0. … Bethel has been held to one goal or less in nine of its 11 losses — including six via shutout. … Bethel heads into Friday's matchup at Saint Mary's in the midst of a four-game losing streak — a streak in which the Royals have been outscored 15-3. … Bailey Thompson enters this weekend's matchup against Saint Mary's leading the Royals with five goals, two more than Kennedi Mitchell, Bri Stafne, and Makenzie Baker. … Mitchell has dished out a team-best four assists — one helper more than both Thompson and Emma Ness — while Thompson sits atop the points lead with eight. … Mitchell has scored two of the Royals' four game-winning goals, with Stafne and Lexi DeBace netting the other two. … BU has used three different goalies this season, with Mallory Tidona (8 GP, 2.39 goals-against-average, .930 save percentage) and Baleigh Shuck (7 GP, 2.44 GAA, .914 save %) starting all but one of the Royals 15 games. … Tidona has made 251 saves in her eight appearances, while Shuck owns 169 saves in seven appearances. Claire Balkholm stopped six of the eight shots she faced (6.00 GAA, .750 save percentage) in her one game between the pipes. … Bethel has been outscored 38-22 this season — including 10-7 in the first period and 13-5 in the third. … The Royals have scored first in six of their 15 games, going 4-2-0. BU is winless (0-9-0) when its opponent nets the game's first goal. … The Royals have played eight games decided by one goal or less, going 1-7-0. … Bethel has scored three or more goals in three of its four wins, including a season-high five goals in a 5-2 win over St. Norbert on Jan. 4.