SAINT MARY'S CARDINALS 

(6-4-0 O'ALL)

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UW-STEVENS POINT POINTERS

(6-7-0 O'ALL)

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LAST MEETING:

Jan. 4, 2020 * T, 2-2

Series History

SAINT MARY'S LAST ACTION:

Jan. 1, 2022 * Eau Claire * L, 4-1

UW-STEVENS POINT LAST ACTION: 

Dec. 31, 2021 * Lawrence * W, 7-1

Jan. 1, 2022 * Lawrence * W, 8-0

SAINT MARY'S UP NEXT:

Jan. 5, 2022 * Johnson & Wales * Providence, RI * 7:00

Jan. 6, 2022 * Worcester St. * Worcester, MA * 4:00

UW-STEVENS POINT UP NEXT: 

Jan. 14, 2022 * UW-River Falls * River Falls, WI * 2:30

Jan. 15, 2022 * UW-River Falls * River Falls, WI * 2:00

• FOR RECORD: The Cardinals head into their nonconference game against UW-Stevens Point boasting a 6-4-0 overall record, including a 6-1-0 mark in conference play.

• LAST ACTION: Third-ranked UW-Eau Claire scored two goals 46 seconds apart early in the second period and held the Cardinals to just 13 shots on goal in dealing SMU a 4-1 nonconference setback Saturday afternoon at the Saint Mary’s Ice Arena. 

• HITTING A SPEED BUMP: The Cardinals’ 4-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire Saturday was just their second loss in the last seven games. All five of SMU’s wins in that span have been by two goals or less.

• FACING THE NATION’S BEST: Saturday’s matchup against No. 3 UW-Eau Claire marked the second time this season the Cardinals have faced a team ranked in the top five in the USCHO.com Poll. The Cardinals dropped a 7-0 decision to then-No. 4 UW-River Falls on Nov. 6.

• ON THE ROAD AGAIN: After playing seven of their previous eight games on their home ice — including Saturday’s matchup against UW-Eau Claire — the Cardinals play their next six contests away from the Saint Mary’s Ice Arena. SMU does not play at home again until Jan. 22, when they entertain Hamline in the second game of their two-game MIAC series.

• BUSY STRETCH: Sunday’s game at UW-Stevens Point is the second of four games in a six-day stretch for the Cardinals, who will square off against Johnson & Wales on Wednesday and Worcester State on Thursday.

• SCORE GOALS, WIN GAMES: Saint Mary’s has scored 16 goals in its five wins this season. The Cardinals have managed just two goals in their four losses.

• NEW DAY, NEW ROLES: Nina Langley (Chaska, Minn.) and Kas Kingston (Black Diamond, Alberta) accounted for all four goals in SMU’s sweep of St. Olaf on Dec. 3-4. Langley scored the game-winner with less than three minutes remaining in regulation in the first 2-1 win over Dec. 3, while Kingston netted the game-winner 13 seconds into overtime in the second 2-1 victory the following afternoon.

• JOINING THE CROWD: Kingston and Langley each scored their first goals in a Cardinal uniform against St. Olaf on Dec. 3. The duo are the sixth and seventh players to score their first Saint Mary’s goals this season. Allie Urlaub (Burnsville, Minn.), Sidney Polzin (Chippewa Falls, Wis.), and Morgan Leib (Farmington Heights, Mich.) all scored career goal No. 1 against Concordia on Nov. 12, while Jordan Kurkowski (North Branch, Minn.) scored her first two collegiate goals and Anna Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) netted her first goal in a Cardinal uniform in SMU’s 4-1 win over St. Norbert on Oct. 29.

• TWO FOR NO. 6: Allie Urlaub (Burnsville, Minn.) picked up her first collegiate multiple-goal game, scoring both of SMU’s goals in SMU’s 2-1 win over Saint Benedict on Nov. 20. The two-goal game is Saint Mary’s first since Anne Carmean (Spring Lake Park, Minn.) found the back of the net twice in the Cardinals’ 4-0 win over … Saint Benedict … on March 13, 2021.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Urlaub and Polzin — who accounted for all three of SMU’s goals against Saint Benedict on Nov. 19-20 — share the team lead with three goals each, with Langley, Kingston, Kurkowski and Leib all owning two goals. Chrastka, Braun, Sheridan, and Avrey Simonson (Waupaca, Wis.) — who netted Saint Mary’s first goal of the season against St. Norbert on Oct. 29 —  have scored the Cardinals’ other four goals.

• LENDING A HAND: Urlaub, Kennedy Kraus (Kasson, Minn.), Jordan Modjeski (South Lyon, Mich.) and Delaney Wolf (Bismarck, N.D.) sit atop the team lead in assists with two each, while 11 other Cardinals have recorded one helper.

• THE GAME-WINNER: Both of Leib’s goals against Concordia on Nov. 12-13 were game-winners. She and Langley have each scored two game-winning goals, with Urlaub, Kurkowski, and Kingston owning Saint Mary’s other three game-winners this season.

• MULTIPLE-POINTS: Kurkowski’s three-point game against St. Norbert (2 G, 1 A) on Oct. 29 was the first of her collegiate career, and the three-points were the most by a Cardinal since Anne Carmean (Spring Lake Park, Minn.) scored two goals and added an assist against Saint Benedict on March 13, 2021. … Kingston added an assist to her first career goal against St. Olaf en route to her first multiple-point game as a Cardinal.

• SHARING THE WEALTH: The Cardinals have had 10 different players account for their 18 goals, while 15 have recorded at least one assist — and 17 have notched at least one point.

• YOUTH MOVEMENT: Fifteen of Saint Mary’s 18 goals this season have come from players wearing the Cardinal jersey for the first time this season.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Ary Ziakas (Palatine, Ill.) and Jordan Keeley (St. James, Minn.) have shared the goaltending duties this season. Keeley kicked out a career-high 44 Concordia shots in SMU’s 3-1 win over the Cobbers on Nov. 13, and enters Sunday’s showdown with UW-Stevens Point with a 2.49 goals-against-average and .917 save percentage in five appearances (216:59). Ziakas — who made a season-high 33 saves against Concordia on Nov. 19 — has compiled a 2.66 goals-against-average and .900 save percentage in 383:07 minutes. … Ziakas has collected a team-leading 153 saves, with Keeley close behind with 101 … Ziakas recorded a pair of shutouts in 2020-21, making 35 saves in a 0-0 tie against Concordia on Feb. 6, before stopping all 31 shots she faced against Saint Benedict on March 14. 

• FIRST-GOAL ADVANTAGE: The team that has scored first has won all 10 of the Cardinals’ games this season. SMU scored first in sweeping Concordia (3-2; 3-2) and St. Olaf (2-1; 2-1), and in beating Saint Benedict (2-1) and St. Norbert (4-1), while Saint Benedict, St. Norbert, UW-River Falls, and UW-Eau Claire scored first in the Cardinals’ four losses.

• A YEAR AGO: The Cardinals posted 2-6-2 record during the 10-game  2020-21 season. In their last full season in 2019-20, SMU finished 10-14-3 overall, including a 6-10-2, fifth-place showing in the MIAC. The Cardinals beat St. Thomas (4-2) and dropped a 4-1 decision to Gustavus in the 2020 MIAC Tournament.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Pointers head into their nonconference game against Saint Mary’s — their third game in as many days — sitting at 6-7-0 overall, while sporting a 2-1-0 record in WIAC action.

• LAST ACTION: The Pointers picked up their fifth win of the season on Friday, beating Lawrence 7-1 in the first game of their two-game nonconference series. UW-SP then completed the sweep by erupting for five second-period goals en route to an 8-1 win in the rematch the following evening.

• HOME COOKING: Sunday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the second straight home game for the Pointers, who boast a 3-4-0 record on their home ice, while sitting at 3-3-0 in their six games away from Ice Hawks Arena.

• FAMILIAR FOES: UW-Stevens Point’s matchup against Saint Mary’ is the sixth game against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — and UW-SP is still searching for its first win against the MIAC this season. The Pointers have already played St. Olaf (L, 5-4; L, 2-1), St. Scholastica (L, 6-3; L, 6-3), and Augsburg (L, 6-2).

• DRIVING THE OFFENSIVE BUS: Nicole Neuberger — who scored three times in the Pointers’ 8-0 win over Lawrence Saturday — heads into UW-SP’s matchup against Saint Mary’s leading the team in goals with nine, four more than Courtney Leising and Sara Aadalen, followed by Katie Stanius with four, and Bella Moskonas, Gina Magro, Ashllyn Wiltscheck, and Lauren Wincentsen with three each. … Stanius and Wincentsen have each recorded two-goal games for the Pointers this season.

• ASSISTING THE CAUSE: Laina Berthiaume picked up a pair of assists vs. Lawrence Saturday and leads the team with seven assists, one in front of Neuberger and Mary Kremer. … Nine different players combined for UW-SP’s 12 assists vs. Lawrence Saturday night.

• SHARING THE WEALTH: Neuberger leads the Pointers with 15 points — including four vs. Lawrence Saturday — while 23 different players have recorded at least one point. Along with her four-point effort against Lawrence on Saturday, Neuberger has also posted two three-point games this season — against Northland on Dec. 4 and vs. Lawrence on Friday  — while Berthiaume owns’ a three-point game against Marian on Nov. 3.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Olivia Schultz has been the workhorse between the pipes for the Pointers, starting the Pointers’ first 12 games. Schultz has compiled a 3.30 goals-against-average and a .904 save percentage. She has posted 368 saves — including stopping all 16 shots she faced in shutting out Marian on Nov. 3. … Schultz has recorded 30 or more saves five times, including three, 40+ save performances — stopping 46 against UW-Superior on Nov. 20, 48 vs. St. Norbert on Nov. 23, and a season-high 55 against UW-River Falls on Nov. 12. … Shayna Grais made her first start of the season against Lawrence Saturday, stopping all 11 shots she faced.

• AS A TEAM: UW-Stevens Point has amassed 51 goals and 59 assists in 13 games, including 11 power-play goals. The Pointers have netted five or more goals five times this season, including a season-best eight-goal efforts in blanking Marian (8-0) and Lawrence (8-0). On the flip side, UW-Stevens Point has surrendered five or more goals in a game four times, including allowing six goals in back-to-back 6-3 losses to St. Scholastica on Nov. 5-6 and a season-high seven in falling to UW-River Falls 7-0 on Nov. 12.