By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
BLAINE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team hits the road for the second game of its two-game conference series against Bethel on Saturday. Opening face-off at the Schwan's Super Rink is set for 2 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-4-1 MIAC, 5-7-2 Overall) at Bethel Royals (3-4-0 MIAC, 5-8-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Video
 
Last Night:
• January 24, 2020 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: Bethel scored the game-winning goal 3:57 into overtime, lifting the Royals to a 3-2 win over Saint Mary's | Recap
 
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:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals square off against Augsburg in a pair of conference games next weekend. Saint Mary's will head to Augsburg's Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7 p.m. matchup on Friday, before returning home to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for the 4 p.m. rematch the next day.
• Bethel: The Royals are back on their home ice at the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., next weekend, hosting Concordia in a pair of MIAC contests. BU and CC will play at 7 p.m. on Friday, with Saturday's matinee set for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• With Friday's game against Bethel, the Cardinals have now played six of their last seven 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. … With their 3-2 loss to Bethel Friday, the Cardinals have now played four overtime games this season — going 1-1-2. Along with their loss to Bethel, the Cardinals have also beaten St. Norbert, tying both UW-Stevens Point and Gustavus, with both games ending 2-2. … The Cardinals' 5-2 loss to St. Thomas on Jan. 17 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 on Jan. 5. … Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) and Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) scored the Cardinals' two goals in Friday's 3-2 loss to Bethel. … Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) picked up assists on both Saint Mary's goals vs. the Royals Friday. … Hafiz scored both of the Cardinals' goals in the Cardinals' 5-2 loss to St. Thomas on Jan. 17. It was the fourth time in her collegiate career that the senior has netted two goals in a game. … 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 enters Saturday's conference rematch with Bethel leading the team in goals with nine, four more than Zebro, while also leading the team in points with 13. … With her two helpers against Bethel on Friday, Moser pushed her team-leading assist total to eight. … 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 25 saves against Bethel Friday. … Ziakas — who has made 30 or more saves six times in her collegiate career — enters the Cardinals' rematch against Bethel boasting a 2.62 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage. … Jordan Keeley (St. James, Minn.) posted a 36-save showing against St. Thomas 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 2.66 goals-against-average and a .910 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 14 of its 33 goals this season in the second period, where they hold a 14-12 scoring advantage. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been outscored 15-7 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. … 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 nine of its 16 games, going 1-6-2. 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 4-6-0 record on the road. … Bethel — which failed to score a goal in its conference series against Augsburg last weekend, being outscored 8-0 — snapped its four-game losing streak with Friday's 3-2 win over Saint Mary's. … Bethel has been held to one goal or less in nine of its 11 losses — including six via shutout. … Bailey Thompson enters Saturday's rematch against Saint Mary's leading the Royals with five goals, one more than Bri Stafne, and two in front of Kennedi Mitchell, Courtney Johnston, and Makenzie Baker. … Mitchell has dished out a team-best four assists — one helper more than Thompson, Grace Halvorson, 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 (9 GP, 2.33 goals-against-average, .928 save percentage) and Baleigh Shuck (7 GP, 2.44 GAA, .914 save %) starting all but one of the Royals 15 games. … Tidona has made 270 saves in her nine 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 40-25 this season — including 11-9 in the first period and 13-5 in the third. … The Royals have scored first in six of their 16 games, going 4-2-0. BU is 1-9-0) when its opponent nets the game's first goal. … The Royals have played nine games decided by one goal or less, going 2-7-0. … Bethel has scored three or more goals in four of its five wins, including a season-high five goals in a 5-2 win over St. Norbert on Jan. 4. … Friday's 3-2 win over Saint Mary's was the Royals' first overtime game of the season.