By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team returns to conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals head to Augsburg's Ed Saugestad Rink for the first game of the teams' two-game MIAC series. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-6-1 MIAC, 6-9-2 Overall) at Augsburg Auggies (7-3-0 MIAC, 12-5-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — January 17-18, 2020 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena/Schwan's Super Rink * Winona/Blaine, Minn.: The Cardinals split their two conference games against Bethel last weekend, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to the Royals on Friday, before rebounding with a 2-1 victory the following afternoon | BU Recap 1 * BU Recap 2
• Augsburg — January 17-18, 2020 * Municipal Athletic Complex/Ed Saugestad Rink * St. Cloud/Minneapolis, Minn.: The Auggies collected a pair of conference shutout wins over Saint Benedict, beating the Bennies 5-0 in the first game, and following that up with a 4-0 win in the rematch | CSB Recap 1 * CSB Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
• November 16, 2019 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: Despite being outshot 19-5 through the game's first two periods, the Cardinals made the most of their scoring opportunities — heading into the game's final 20 minutes with a 2-1 lead. Augsburg, however, had plenty of quality third-period chances — and cashed in on two of them — as the Auggies rallied for a 3-2 win over the Cardinals | Recap
• November 17, 2019 * Ed Saugestad Rink * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals came up empty on all six of their power-play opportunities, while Augsburg converted on two of three chances with the man advantage, as the Auggies handed Saint Mary's a 4-1 conference setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Auggies head to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena 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
• Friday's game at Augsburg is just the third road game in the last 10 contests for the Cardinals. Saint Mary's has recorded five of its six wins — and both of its ties — at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. Last Saturday's 2-1 win over the Royals was the Cardinals' first road win of the season. … With their 3-2 loss to Bethel last 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. … With their two one-goal games against Bethel last weekend, 12 of the Cardinals' 17 games this season have been decided by two goals or less. Saint Mary's is 6-4-2 in those 12 contests. … 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.) scored a goal in both games against Bethel last weekend, while Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) and Avrey Simonson (Waupaca, Wis.) netted the other two. … Hafiz — who has now scored seven goals in the last nine games — netted 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. … Simonson's goal against Bethel last Saturday was the first of her collegiate career. She is the fifth player to net her first goal in a Cardinal uniform this season, joining Delaney Calabrese (West Dundee, Ill.), Kaley Manglitz's (Onalaska, Wis.), Sam Carlson (St. Paul, Minn.), and Amber Miller (Kasson, Minn.). … Hafiz enters this weekend's conference showdowns against Augsburg leading the team in goals with 10, while also leading the team in points with 15. … Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.) picked up assists on both Saint Mary's goals vs. the Royals last Friday, pushing her team-leading assist total to eight. … Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.) stopped 38 shots in the Cardinals' 2-1 win over Bethel last Saturday. … Keeley's 38-save effort was five shy of her career-high 43-save showing against Adrian on Nov. 3. … Keeley has now stopped a combined 74 shots in her last two starts. … Keeley, who has made 30 or more saves in a game four times in her first two years as a Cardinal, boasts a 2.44 goals-against-average and a .921 save percentage in eight starts. … Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.), who stopped a season- and career-high 44 shots against Gustavus on Dec. 6, made 25 saves against Bethel last Friday. … Ziakas — who has made 30 or more saves six times in her collegiate career — enters the weekend against Augsburg boasting a 2.62 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage. … Saint Mary's has scored 14 of its 35 goals this season in the second period, where they hold a 14-12 scoring advantage. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been outscored 16-9 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 10 of its 17 games, going 2-6-2. The Cardinals are 4-3-0 when their opponent scores first. … Saint Mary's is 3-1-2 when leading after two periods, while going 1-6-0 when trailing after two. … 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 Augsburg Auggies:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• With their sweep of Saint Benedict last weekend, the Auggies head into their two-game MIAC series with Saint Mary's having won two straight and five of their last six. … Augsburg's last five games have all been decided by shutout — the Auggies have beaten CSB (5-0 and 4-0), lost to Eau Claire (4-0), and swept Bethel (2-0, 6-0). … Augsburg had five different players — Lanie Lobdell, Emily Ach, Kalli Prekker, Bridget Wagner, and Jeanette Bealke — score goals in last Friday's 5-0 win over Saint Benedict, while Ellie Tabaka scored twice, and Wagner and Mikayla Jones netted the other two in the Auggies' 4-0 win the following day. … Tabaka's two-goal game against Saint Benedict last Saturday was the first of her collegiate career. … Ach and Wagner head into the Auggies' weekend series against Saint Mary's sharing the team lead with seven goals, one more than both McKenna Ellena and Kate Flynn. … Mackenzie Molnar owns the team lead with 11 assists, while also sharing the top spot in points (14) with Ach. … Ach and Molnar are two of five Auggies with 10 or more points this season, being joined by Ellena (13), Flynn (12), and Wagner (11). … Molnar, Wagner, Jones, and Lanie Lobdell have all scored a team-leading two game-winning goals. … Augsburg has scored seven power-play goals this season, while also adding three shorthanded tallies. … Abby Bollig and Annie Juergens have shared the goaltending duties this season, with Bollig posting a 1.45 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in nine starts, and Juergens owning a 1.82 GAA and .924 save % in seven starts. … Bollig has posted 168 saves, with Juergens close behind with 145. … Bollig owns three shutouts, with Juergens chipping in two. … Augsburg has outscored its opponents 54-27 — 15-6 in the first period, 19-13 in the second, and 20-8 in the third. … Last Saturday's 4-0 win over Saint Benedict marked the eighth time that Augsburg has scored four or more goals in a game this season, with all eight ending in Auggie victories. … Eleven of Augsburg's 17 games have been decided by three or more goals. … Augsburg is unbeaten (10-0-0) when scoring the game's first goal, while going 2-5-0 when its opponent scores first.