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 Sunday, as the Cardinals entertain Marian in a 2 p.m. nonconference matchup.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-6-2 Overall) vs. Marian Sabres (3-6-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — January 4, 2020 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: Anya Hafiz (Woodbury, Minn.) scored late in the third period, lifting the Cardinals to a 2-2, nonconference tie with UW-Stevens Point | Recap
• Marian — January 4, 2020 * Ed Saugestad Rink * Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg erupted for five goals in the third period, as the Auggies rolled to a 10-0 nonconference victory over the Sabres | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Marian — Their Last Meeting:
• October 27, 2018 * Blueline Family Ice Center * Fond du Lac, Wis.: The Cardinals used a pair of two-goal periods — one in the first and one in the third — not to mention a 16-save effort from Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.) en route to a 4-0 victory over Marian | Recap
• January 5, 2019 * Ice Hawks Arena * Stevens Point, Wis.: Lexie Budensiek (Farmington, Minn.) scored with less than five minutes remaining in regulation to erase a 1-0 Marian advantage and earn the Cardinals their second straight 1-1 overtime tie | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals close out the nonconference portion of their schedule with a pair of home games against St. Norbert next weekend. Saint Mary's hosts the Green Knights for a 2 p.m. matchup next Friday, before closing out the two-game series with another 2 p.m. matchup against SNC the following afternoon.
• Marian: The Sabres are back in action with a mid-week game at UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday. Marian and UW-SP will square off at 7 p.m. at Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point, Wis.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Sunday's nonconference game against Marian is the second of four straight home games for the Cardinals, who are 2-1-2 at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena this season. … With Saturday's 2-2 tie against UW-Stevens Point, the Cardinals have now gone into overtime in two of their last three 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 (Woodbury, Minn.) had a goal and an assist in Saturday's 2-2 tie against UW-Stevens Point, while Carson Sheridan (Waunakee, Wis.) netted Saint Mary's other goal and Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) chipped in an assist. … With her goal against UW-Stevens Point, Hafiz moved into the team lead in goals with five, one more than Sophia Zebro (Oak Grove, Minn.). Lauryn Folker (Cody, Wyo.), Courtney Moser (Blaine, Minn.), Kayla Henning (Burnsville, Minn.), Natalie Ryan (Village of Lakewood, Ill.), and Carolyn Chrastka (Franklin Park, Ill.) are all third with two goals each. … Moser and Amber Miller (Kasson, Minn.) share the team lead in assists with three each, while Hafiz holds the team lead in points with six, one more than Moser. … 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. … Miller's goal against Adrian on Nov. 2 was her first as a Cardinal. … Six of the Cardinals' 19 goals this season have come on the power play. … 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 Saturday. … Ziakas — who has made 30 or more saves give times in her collegiate career — enters Sunday's game against Marian boasting a 2.36 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage. … Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.) boasts a 3.32 goals-against-average and an .890 save percentage four 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 nine of its 19 goals this season in the second period. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored 15 of its 31 goals in the third period. … With their 3-1 victory over St. Catherine on Nov. 22, the Cardinals have now scored three or more goals in both of their wins this season — Saint Mary's netted a season-high four goals in beating Concordia 4-3 on Nov. 15. On the flip side, the Cardinals have been held to one goal in each of their last five losses. … 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 10 games, going 1-4-2 … Saint Mary's is 2-1-2 when leading after two periods, while going 0-4-0 when trailing after two. … Six of the Cardinals' nine 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 Marian Sabres:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• Sunday's game at Saint Mary's is the fourth of five straight road games for the Sabres, who are 2-2-1 on the road this season — including back-to-back one-goal wins over Finlandia just prior to the holiday break. … After scoring just four goals in their first seven games, the Sabres erupted for six goals in their sweep of Finlandia on Dec. 7-8 — including a season-high four-goal effort in their 4-3 win over the Lions on Dec. 8. … Marian's 10-0 loss to Augsburg on Saturday snapped its three-game winning streak. … All three of the Sabres' wins during their three-game winning streak were by one goal. … Morgan Bolin enters Sunday's showdown with Saint Mary's leading the team with five goals. … Bolin has accounted for five of Marian's 10 goals this season. Mary Clark is second to Bolin with three goals, while Brooke Anderson and Briahna Bryant own the other two. … Anderson and Jade Williams share the team lead with two assists, while Bolin is the team-leader in points with six. … Clark has netted two of the Sabres' three game-winning goals, with Bolin scoring the other. … Bolin owns the Sabres' lone power-play goal — Marian is 1-for-44 with the man-advantage this season. … The Sabres have used three different goalies this season. Maggie Cusey has made a team-leading five appearances, compiling a 3.03 goals-against-average and .926 save percentage, while Molly Gross (4 GP, 4.81 GAA, .858 save %) and Lindsay Lewison (4 GP, 8.57 GAA, .832 save %) have also seen time between the pipes. … Marian is 2-0-0 when scoring the game's first goal, but are just 1-6-0 when its opponent scores first. … Marian is 1-0-0 when leading after two periods, while going 0-6-0 when trailing after two and 2-0-1 when tied heading into the third period. … Five of the Sabres' first 10 games this season have been decided by one-goal or less — Marian is 3-1-1 in those five games. … Marian has played one overtime game this season, battling Concordia (Wis.) to a 0-0 deadlock on Nov. 23.