SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 2-0-0 Overall

#9 UW-EAU CLAIRE

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2023-24: 2-0-0 Overall

#4 UW-RIVER FALLS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2023-24: 2-0-0 Overall

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SMU-UWEC * LAST MEETING:

Nov. 5, 2022 * Eau Claire, WI

L, 3-0 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 27-28, 2023 * Winona, MN

Lake Forest * W, 7-0; W, 8-0

UW-EAU CLAIRE * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 27-28, 2023 * Eau Claire, WI

Saint Benedict * W, 4-3; W, 7-1

UW-RIVER FALLS * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 27, 2023 * River Falls, WI

St. Scholastica * W, 8-1

Oct. 28, 2023 * Minneapolis, MN

Augsburg * W, 3-1

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Nov. 4, 2023 * River Falls, WI

UW-River Falls * 7:05 p.m.

UW-EAU CLAIRE * UP NEXT: 

Nov. 7, 2023 * Mequon, WI

Concordia (WI) * 7:15 p.m.

UW-RIVER FALLS * UP NEXT: 

Nov. 9, 2023 * Stevens Point, WI

UW-Stevens Point * 7 p.m.

Nov. 11, 2023 * River Falls, WI

Northland * 2:05 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR RECORD: The Cardinals, who closed out the 2022-23 season sitting at 8-15-2 overall — including sporting a 5-11-2 mark in conference play — head into this weekend’s games against UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls unbeaten in their first two games

• LAST ACTION: Saint Mary’s erupted for 15 goals in posting a season-opening sweep of Lake Forest last weekend at the Saint Mary’s Ice Arena, beating the Foresters 7-0 last Friday, before tacking on an 8-0 victory in the rematch the following day.

• ROAD SUCCESS: Five of the Cardinals’ eight wins in 2022-23 came on the road. … SMU finished the year 3-6-1 on its home ice, while sporting a 5-9-1 mark away from the Saint Mary’s Ice Arena.

• PUTTING UP BIG. NUMBERS: SMU’s 8-0 win over Lake Forest last Saturday were the most since blanking Lawrence 8-0 on Dec. 10, 2022. … The Cardinals’ 15 combined goals in sweeping Lake Forest last weekend were the most since SMU swept Bethel 11-0 and 8-3 on Jan. 4-5, 2002.

• GREAT START: The Cardinals’ two-game sweep of Lake Forest last weekend marks the first time since 2018 that SMU has opened with back-to-back wins. Saint Mary’s beat St. Norbert (6-3) and Marian (4-0) on Oct. 26-27, 2018. … SMU has not opened the season with three straight wins since 2010, when then opened with wins over Marian (5-0), St. Norbert (2-1), and UW-Eau Claire (4-1).

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Thanks to her first collegiate hat trick against Lake Forest last Saturday, Reese Heitzman (Hermantown, Minn.) leads the Cardinals with three goals, one more than Allie Urlaub (Burnsville, Minn.), Kennedy Kraus (Kasson, Minn.), and Mikayla Vasilevich (Chicago, Ill.). … Urlaub and Kraus have both scored goals in each of SMU’s first two games. … Kas Kingston (Black Diamond, Alberta) closed out the 2022-23 season with a team-leading seven goals.

• FIRST AS A CARDINAL: Saint Mary’s has already had five players — Heitzman, Vasilevich, Maggie Albers (Maple Grove, Minn.), Ella Hennes (Ramsey, Minn.), and Sophie Paduano (Westby, Wis.) — net their first goals as Cardinals this season.

• SPREADING THE WEALTH: SMU opened the season with 10 different players scoring the Cardinals’ first 10 goals. Albers, Hennes Urlaub, Kraus, Taverie Sherner (Maple Grove, Minn.), Ellie Hegdahl (Brookings, S.D.), and Jordy Wyant (Winnipeg, Manitoba) accounted for SMU’s seven goals in last Friday’s 7-0 win, while Paduano, Vasilevich, and Heitzman netted SMU’s first three goals in the Cardinals’ 8-0 win the following afternoon. … The Cardinals had eight different players score goals in their 8-0 win over Lawrence last season.

• TOSSING THE HAT: Heitzman’s hat trick against Lake Forest last Saturday — the first of her collegiate career — marked the second straight season in which SMU boasted a player with three goals in a game. Sidney Polzin (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) recorded her first collegiate hat trick and her first career five-point game in SMU’s 5-0 win over St. Catherine on Jan. 20, 2023.

• LENDING A HAND: Urlaub, who shared the team lead in assists with seven a year ago, has posted a team-best four helpers already this season, one more than Skye Norgren (Fergus Falls, Minn.). Seven other Cardinals have two assists. 

• POINT PRODUCERS: Urlaub sits atop the team’s points race with six, one more than Heitzman and two up on Kraus, Paduano, Sherner, and Norgren. … Saint Mary’s has gotten at least one point from 16 of the 19 players who have seen action this season.

• BIG NIGHTS: Heitzman and Vasilevich each recorded their first multiple-goal games against Lake Forest last Saturday, with Heitzman scoring three times and Vasilevich twice. … Urlaub delivered a goal and three assists in SMU’s 8-0 win over Lake Forest last Saturday. The three assists and four points matched her career high.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES:Celeste Rimstad (Richfield, Minn.) stopped all 24 shots she faced in SMU’s season-opening 7-0, 8-0 victories over Lake Forest last weekend — kicking out 10 shots on Friday and 14 more on Saturday. … Rimstad now owns four shutouts through her first 16 games as a Cardinal. … Rimstad recorded 252 saves and sported a 1.93 GAA and .920 save % last season. … Rimstad made 30 or more saves in a game twice last season, including a career-high 40-save showing vs. Hamline Nov. 12.

• THROWING UP BLANKS: SMU’s 7-0 and 8-0 wins over Lake Forest last weekend marked the second straight season in which the Cardinals posted back-to-back shutouts, having blanked Lawrence 3-0 and 8-0 on Dec. 9-10, 2022

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: SMU has outshot its opponents 68-24 — including 22-12 in the first period, 24-5 in the second, and 22-7 in the third. … The Cardinals have scored seven of their 15 goals in the second period, adding three first-period goals and five in the game’s final stanza. … Saint Mary’s went 1-for-5 on the power play last weekend, while killing off all seven Lake Forest PP advantages.

UW-EAU CLAIRE SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Blugolds head into their weekend games against Saint Mary’s and St. Scholastica on the heels of a pair of wins over Saint Benedict in their season-opener series last weekend.

• LAST TIME OUT: UW-Eau Claire peppered the Saint Benedict net with 60 shots, but still needed a pair of late third-period goals to secure a season-opening 4-3 win over the Bennies last Friday at Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire, Wis. UW-EC’s offense was much more successful in the rematch the following afternoon, erupting for seven goals in a 7-1 victory.

• A YEAR AGO: UW-Eau Claire finished the 2022-23 season with a 22-4-2 record — including a near-perfect 11-1-1 record in WIAC play. … The Blugolds, who finished second to UW-River Falls in the WIAC regular-season standings, swept past UW-Stevens Point in the opening round of the O’Brian before falling to the No. 1- ranked Falcons 5-1 in the title game — it was the seventh straight season in which UWEC reached the O’Brien Cup title game. … 

• IN THE POLLS: The Blugolds, who closed out the 2022-23 season ranked No. 9 in the final USCHO.com Poll, climbed to No. 7 when USCHO.com released its latest poll on Monday.

• HOME SWEET HOME: The Blugolds play three of their first four games this season on their home ice — the lone exception, Friday’s afternoon matinee against Saint Mary’s. UWEC opened the season with back-to-back home contests against Saint Benedict, and welcome St. Scholastica to Hobbs Ice Center on Saturday. … The Blugolds — 2-0-0 at home this season — posted an impressive 13-1-1 home record a year ago, while owning a 9-3-1 mark on the road.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Sophie Rausch accounted for four of the Blugolds’ 11 goals against Saint Benedict last weekend, scoring a pair of goals in each game. Sam Bandholz is second on the team with two goals, while Eden Gruber, Sadie Long, Mattie Verstegen, Maddie Huler, and Madisyn Krumholz accounted for UW-EC’s other five tallies against the Bennies last weekend. … Rausch led the Blugolds — and all of the WIAC — with 32 goals a year ago.

• LENDING A HELPING HAND: Sydney Johnson was an assist machine in UW-Eau Claire’s sweep of Saint Benedict last weekend, collecting helpers on five of the team’s 11 goals. Rausch — who posted 17 assists a year ago — Gruber, and Long all chipped in two assists, with Bandholz, Verstegen, Ellie Andersen, Ava Bullert, and Lula Swanson each added one assist.

• POINT PRODUCERS: With her four goals and two assists, Rausch sits atop the Blugolds points race with six, one more than Johnson. Gruber, Long, and Bandholz have all picked up three points, with Verstegen adding two. … Rausch closed out 2022-23 as the team and conference leader with 49 points. 

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Alexa Backmann and Josie Mathison each started a game against Saint Benedict last weekend. Backmann stopped 20 of the 211 shots she faced (.952 save %) in UW-EC’s 7-1 win on Saturday, while Mathison kicked out 17 of 20 shots (.850 save %) the previous evening. … Graduated senior Stephanie Martin started 23 of the team’s 28 games a year ago, posting a league-leading 1.33 goals-against-average and a .921 save percentage.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: UW-Eau Claire outshot the Bennies 110-41 in the teams’ two-game series last weekend — including peppering the CSB net with 60 shots in last Friday’s 4-3 win. UW-EC held a 50-13 shots advantage in the third period against Saint Benedict. … The Blugolds scored four power-play goals in 14 chances against CSB, while the Bennies were 0-for-10 with the man advantage. …. UW-Eau Claire scored three goals in each of the first two periods vs. CSB, and added five third-period goals. The Bennies, meanwhile, scored once in the first and second frames, and twice in the third. 

UW-RIVER FALLS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Falcons enter their nonconference weekend against Saint Benedict and Saint Mary’s sporting a perfect 2-0-0 mark, after disposing of St. Scholastica and Augsburg last weekend.

• LAST TIME OUT: UW-River Falls got goals from seven different players in cruising to a season-opening 8-1 win over St. Scholastica last Friday in River Falls, Wis., before completing a perfect season-opening weekend with a 3-1 win over Augsburg the following day in Minneapolis, Minn.

• A YEAR AGO: UW-River Falls enjoyed a banner season in 2022-23, closing out the year with a 24-4-1 overall record, including a 10-1-1 mark in WIAC action. … The Falcons took home both the WIAC regular-season and playoff titles – beating UW-Eau Claire 5-1 in the Harris Cup title game. … The Falcons, who made their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance, had their playoff run end with a 2-1 loss to eventual national champion Gustavus.

• IN THE POLLS: UW-River Falls, which climbed all the way to No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll last season, before slipping to No. 5 in the final poll of the 2022-23 season, is sitting at No. 4 in the latest USCHO.com poll, release Monday.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the second home game of the season for the Falcons, who opened the year with an 8-1 home win over St. Scholastica on Oct. 27, before playing back-to-back games at Augsburg (W, 3-1) and Saint Benedict. … The Falcons closed out the year 11-2-1 on their home ice, while sporting a 13-2-0 mark away from Hunt Arena.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Maddie McCollins — the reigning WIAC and USCHO.com Player of the Year — and Alex Hentge share the team lead in goals with two each, with MaKenna Aure, Megan Goodreau, Aubrey Nelvin, Katherine Bell, Holly Eckers, Payton Hixson, and Madison Kadrick accounting for the Falcons’ other nine goals. … McCollins was one of eight Falcons to reach double figures in goals last season, netting a team-high 28. Goodreau closed out the year second with 19 goals, while Hentge (13), Aure (11) also netted 10+ goals last season.

• LENDING A HELPING AND HAND: Goodreau heads into the week owning a team-best three assists, one more than McCollins, Ellie Brice, and Madison Lavergne. Four other Falcons have collected one assist through UW-River Falls’ first two games. … Hentge boasted a team-best 29 assists a year ago, with McCollins (20), Eckers (18), and Goodreau (16) also reaching double figures in assists last season.

• POINT PRODUCERS: Goodreau (1 G, 3 A) and McCollins (2 G, 2 A) share the early lead in the Falcons’ points race with four, followed by Aure and Hentge with three, and Brice, Lavergne, and Nelvin with two apiece. … McCollins amassed a team-leading 48 points last season, six more than Hentge.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Jordan O’Connor has played every minute in goal for the Falcons, allowing just one goal in each of UW-River Falls’ first two games. O’Connor stopped 13 of 14 shots against St. Scholastica last Friday,, before adding a 23-save showing against Augsburg the following afternoon. … O’Connor appeared in 13 games a year ago, including seven starts, compiling a 1.35 goals-against-average and a .909 save percentage with three shutouts.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Falcons held a commanding 87-38 advantage in shots on goal in their games against St. Scholastica and Augsburg last weekend, while outscoring the two MIAC foes by a combined 11-2 margin. … UW-River Falls scored three of its 11 power play opportunities, while the Falcons allowed just one PP goal, killing off 6 of 7 chances. … UW-RF has outscored its first two opponents 3-1 in both the first and second periods, while holding a 5-0 scoring advantage in the final stanza.