#14 SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023-24: 19-5-2 Overall

#2 GUSTAVUS GUSTIES

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2023-24: 21-4-0 Overall

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MIAC PLAYOFFS:

Quarterfinal | Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024

No. 5 Bethel 1, No. 4 Hamline 0

Semifinals | Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
No. 1 Gustavus 2, No. 5 Bethel 1 (ot)
No. 3 Saint Mary’s 2, No. 2 Augsburg 1

Championship | Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024
No. 3 Saint Mary’s at No. 1 Gustavus, 2:00

TICKETS:

All MIAC playoff contests must charge admission. 

Adults - $10 | Students - $2 (5-under free)

SMU-GAC * LAST MEETING:

Dec. 1-2, 2023

L, 3-1 * L, 3-0 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 24, 2024 * Minneapolis, MN

Augsburg * W, 2-1

GUSTAVUS * LAST ACTION:

Feb. 24, 2024 * St. Peter, MN

Bethel * W, 2-1 (ot)

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR RECORD: The Cardinals head into post-season play boasting a 19-5-2 overall record, including a 12-4-2 mark in conference play, earning SMU the No. 3 seed in this year’s MIAC Playoffs.

• LAST ACTION: The Cardinals got second-period goals from Alle Urlaub (Burnsville, Minn.) and Jenna Kurkowski (North Branch, Minn.) and never relinquished the lead in earning a spot in the MIAC Playoff title game with a 2-1 win over second-seeded Augsburg last Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn.

• PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE: Saint Mary’s is making its 14th MIAC Playoff appearance, and its third in the MIAC Playoff championship game. … SMU — which has appeared in the conference tournament in 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2009-10, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22, and 2023-24 — won the event in 2002 and finished runner-up in 2001.

• RACKING UP WINS: Saint Mary’s 2-1 win over Augsburg in last Saturday’s MIAC Playoff semifinal was its 19th of the season, the most wins in a season since the 2001-02 season, when Saint Mary’s finished the year 21-6-1. … SMU’s 12 conference wins, meanwhile, were the most since going 15-3-0 during the 2000-01.

• PUTTING IN SOME OT: With their 3-3 tie against Concordia on Feb. 17, Saint Mary’s has now played five overtime games this season — including going to OT in three of their last five contests. … SMU is 2-1-2 in its five overtime games — beating Bethel (4-3) on Jan. 27 and St. Scholastica (2-1) Feb. 9, falling to Hamline (2-1) on Nov. 11, and tying St. Scholastica (2-2) on Feb. 10 and Concordia (3-3) on Feb. 17.

• STREAK-SNAPPER: With their 2-1 loss to Saint Benedict on Feb. 3, the Cardinals had their season-high nine-game winning streak snapped. The nine-game run was SMU’s longest since 2001-02, when the Cardinal won 10 in a row. … Saint Mary’s has also put together three, three-game winning streaks this season. … The Cardinals had three-game winning streak No. 2 snapped with their 3-1 loss to then-#1 Gustavus on Dec. 1, while their 3-0 loss to the Gusties the following day marked the only time this season SMU had dropped back-to-back games.

• IN THE POLLS: The Cardinals head into Saturday’s title showdown against second-ranked Gustavus ranked No. 14 in the latest USCHO.com Poll. … SMU has faced four nationally ranked teams this season, beating then-seventh-ranked (now #6) UW-Eau Claire 2-1 on Nov. 3 and No. 15-ranked Augsburg last Saturday, while falling to then-#4 (now #1) UW-River Falls on Nov. 4 and dropping a pair of games to then-No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Gustavus (now ranked #3) on Dec. 1-2.

• HOME SWEET HOME: The Cardinals played 14 of their 26 games on their home ice, going 10-3-1 — beating Lake Forest (7-0, 8-0), UW-Eau Claire (2-1), Augsburg (3-2), St. Olaf (5-2), St. Catherine (3-1), Lawrence (4-1), Bethel (4-3), Saint Benedict (5-1), and Concordia (3-1), while falling to Hamline (2-1 in OT), Gustavus (3-1), and Saint Benedict (2-1), and tying Concordia (3-3). … Saint Mary’s heads into Saturday’s playoff title game at Gustavus sitting at 9-2-1 away from the SMU Ice Arena this season.

• CLOSE CALLS: Sixteen of the Cardinals’ 26 games have been decided by two goals or less, including nine outings decided by one goal or less. 

• NOT-SO-CLOSE CALLS: Three of Saint Mary’s 18 wins have been by seven or more goals. SMU has posted 7-0 victories over both Lake Forest and the University of Dubuque, while beating the Foresters 8-0 in the second game of its season-opening sweep of Lake Forest.

• PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS: SMU’s eight goals in its 8-0 win over Lake Forest on Oct. 28 were the most since blanking Lawrence 8-0 on Dec. 10, 2022. … The Cardinals’ 15 combined goals in sweeping Lake Forest on Oct. 28-29 were the most since SMU swept Bethel 11-0 and 8-3 on Jan. 4-5, 2002. … Saint Mary’s delivered a season-high 62 shots on goal in its 4-1 win Lawrence on Jan. 23. It was the second time in two years SMU has put up 62 SOGs vs. the Vikings. The program-record for shots on goal in a game sits at 80 against St. Olaf on Nov. 11, 2000.

• PUTTING UP LITTLE NUMBERS: Saint Mary’s matched a single-game program record, holding the University of Dubuque to just one shot on goal in the first period of its 7-0 win on Dec. 5. SMU first set the mark on Nov. 11, 2000, when the Cardinals held St. Olaf to one shot on goal in both the first and third periods. … UD finished with just six shots on goal on Dec. 5, the fewest allowed by the Cardinals since holding St. Olaf to five on No. 11, 2000.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Reese Heitzman (Hermantown, Minn.) heads into SMU’s MIAC Playoff championship showdown against Gustavus boasting a team-high 17 goals. The freshman has netted a goal in 13 of the team’s 26 games this season. Her 17 goals are the most since Emily Kearns scored 22 in 2003-04. … Sophia Paduano (Westby, Wis.) is sitting second to Heitzman with 15 goals, while Celia Midtbo (Minneapolis, Minn.) is third with 11. … Paduano, who boasted a season-high six-game goal-scoring streak this season, has scored a goal in 11 of the team’s last 15 games.

• DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS: With Heitzman (17), Paduano (15), and Midtbo (11) having all scored 10+ goals, it marks the first time SMU has had three players reach double figures in goals since the 2001-02 season — when Emily Kearns (32), Christy Hicks (15), and Jaimie Mussehl (13) achieved the feat. 

• FIRST AS A CARDINAL: Saint Mary’s has had eight players — Heitzman, Vasilevich, Paduano, Midtbo, Ella Ausman (Chippewa Falls, Wis.), Kenzie Meland (Zimmerman, Minn.), Maggie Albers (Maple Grove, Minn.), and Ella Hennes (Ramsey, Minn.) — net their first goals as Cardinals this season.

• SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Cardinals opened the season with 10 different players scoring their 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 its 7-0 win on Oct. 27, while Paduano, Vasilevich, and Heitzman netted SMU’s first three goals in the Cardinals’ 8-0 win vs. the Foresters the following afternoon. … Saint Mary’s seven goals in its 7-0 win over the University of Dubuque on Dec. 5 were scored by seven different players, while SMU’s five goals in its 4-2 win and 2-1 loss to Hamline on Nov,. 10-11 also came from five different players.

• TOSSING THE HAT: Saint Mary’s has had two players record their first collegiate hat trick this season. Heitzman scored three goals against Lake Forest on Oct. 28, while Midtbo found the back of the net three times against Saint Benedict last Friday. … SMU has had a player record a hat trick in each of the last two seasons. 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 amassed a team-leading 16 helpers this season. Paduano is second on the team with 14 assists, followed by Kas Kingston (Black Diamond, Alberta) with 11 and Midtbo with 10. … Kingston (Black Diamond, Alberta) recorded a career-high three assists in the Cardinals’ 4-1 win over Lawrence on Jan. 23. … Saint Mary’s 111 assists have come from 20 different players.

• POINT PRODUCERS: Saint Mary’s boasts seven players who have reached double figures in points, led by Paduano with 29. Heitzman is sitting second in the points race with 26, followed by Urlaub (23), Midtbo (21), Kingston (15), Meland (11), and Sherner (10). … Heitzman has recorded at least one point in 16 of SMU’s 26 games this season. She had her season-high nine-game point streak snapped against #1 Gustavus on Dec. 1. … Paduano, meanwhile, has recorded at least one point in 16 games. … The last time SMU had four players eclipse the 20-point mark in the same season was 2001-02, when Emily Kearns (50), Christy Hicks (30), Jaimie Mussehl (22), and Missy Westergren (21) all achieved the feat.

• BIG NIGHTS: Heitzman delivered her first collegiate four-point game against the University of Dubuque on Dec. 5, scoring once and assisting on three others. … Midtbo recorded her first collegiate two-goal and three-point game against Bethel on Jan. 27. … Urlaub collected a goal and three assists in SMU’s 8-0 win over Lake Forest on Oct. 28. The three assists and four points matched her career high. … Heitzman has recorded three multiple-goal games — scoring three times against Lake Forest on Oct. 28, while adding a pair of goals against Augsburg on Nov. 17 and scoring twice against Concordia on Feb. 16. … Midtbo owns a two-goal game against Bethel on Jan. 27 and a three-goal game against Saint Benedict on Feb. 2. … Vasilevich tallied a two-goal game against Lake Forest on Oct. 28 and Paduano delivered the first multiple-goal game of her career with two tallies against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 21.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES:Celeste Rimstad (Richfield, Minn.) — who leads the nation in minutes played (1541:24) — has started all 26 games in goal for the Cardinals, compiling a 1.44 goals-against-average and a .938 save percentage. … Rimstad has stopped 561 of the 598 shots she’s faced this season — including a career-high 42 saves in last SMU’s 3-1 loss to then-#4 UW-River Falls on Nov. 4. … Rimstad has recorded four shutouts this season, and five in her first two seasons as a Cardinal. … Riley Vander Esch (Sioux Falls, S.D.) stopped all four shots she faced in relief of Rimstad against the University of Dubuque on Dec. 5, and boasts a 3.76 GAA and .778 save % in two appearances (31:53 minutes).

• THROWING UP ZEROS: The Cardinals had their season-opening shutout streak snapped at 179:47 minutes, when UW-Eau Claire scored with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation in the Cardinals’ 2-1 win over the then-seventh-ranked Blugolds on Nov. 3.

• THROWING UP ZEROS II: SMU’s 7-0 and 8-0 wins over Lake Forest on Oct. 27-28 marked the second straight season in which the Cardinals have posted back-to-back shutouts, having blanked Lawrence 3-0 and 8-0 on Dec. 9-10, 2022. … SMU added its third shutout of the season with its 7-0 win over the University of Dubuque on Dec. 5 and recorded shutout No. 4 with last Friday’s 4-0 win over St. Catherine.

• TOTAL DOMINATION: In its three games against Lawrence over the past two seasons, Saint Mary’s has outshot LU 183-37, and have outscored the Vikings 15-1 … SMU held a 28-1 first-period edge in SOG in their first meeting on Dec. 9, 2022, while boasting a 26-5 edge in shots in the second period the following evening. SMU outshot LU 24-3 in the first, 21-4 in the second, and 17-2 in the third in their Jan. 23 meeting this season.

• LONG TIME COMING: With their 2-1 win over then-seventh-ranked UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 3, Saint Mary’s improved to 3-0-0, marking the first time SMU had opened the season with back-to-back-to-back victories since beating Marian (5-0), St. Norbert (2-1), and UW-Eau Claire (4-1) to kick off the 2010-11 campaign.

• LONGER TIME COMING II: With their 4-0, 3-1 sweep of St. Catherine, the Cardinals picked up their first conference sweep of the Wildcats since the 2006-2007 season, when SMU won 3-1 and 3-0.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: SMU has outscored its 26 opponents 86-39, and hold an 912-607 advantage in shots on goal. … The Cardinals have scored 34 of their 86 goals in the second period, adding 26 tallies in the first and 24 in the third. … Saint Mary’s is 21-for-84 on the power play (25.0 %), while killing off 67 of its opponents’ 76 PP opportunities (88.2 %). … SMU has scored a season-high three power-play goals in a game twice — vs. St. Catherine on Jan. 20 and against Saint Benedict on Feb. 2. … The Cardinals set season-bests for goals (8), assists (13), and points (21) in their 8-0 win over the Foresters on Oct. 28, while their 62 shots on goal against both Lawrence on Jan. 23 and vs. St. Scholastica last Friday were a season high.

GUSTAVUS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: x

• LAST TIME OUT: x

• PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE: Gustavus has made 22 appearances in the MIAC Playoffs, failing to reach the five-team tournament just once — in the 2015-16 season. The Gusties boast an all-time playoff record of 37-9-2, collecting a conference-leading 14 titles, including winning the crown in each of the last three seasons. … Last season, the Gusties defeated Hamline 5-1 in the semifinals and Augsburg 4-2 in the title game before advancing to the NCAA Tournament and claiming the program's first national championship. … A 2024 championship for Gustavus would tie the record for most consecutive playoff titles, set by St. Thomas from 2014 to 2017. 

• YEAR TO REMEMBER: The Gusties capped a remarkable 2022-23 season — which included both MIAC regular-season and tournament titles — with a 3-2, triple-overtime victory over Amherst in the NCAA title game. It was the first national title in program history, and the first by an MIAC women’s hockey team. … GAC’s win over Amherst, which spanned 101:33 minutes, is the longest game in NCAA Division III women’s hockey history. … Last year marked the third straight NCAA appearance for Gustavus — including back-to-back trips to the title game in 2022 and 2023.

• IN THE POLLS: The Gusties have been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the USCHO.com Poll all season, 

• STREAK SNAPPERS: With their 5-4 overtime loss to Augsburg on Jan. 20, the Gusties had their 18-game conference winning streak come to a close. … GAC’s 2-0 loss to then-No. 2 UW-River Falls on Dec. 5, meanwhile, put an end to its season-opening seven-game winning streak, and ended a run of 18 consecutive victories, dating back to a 2-1 loss to UW-River Falls on Jan., 31, 2023. … Prior to Bethel's first-period goal in last Saturday’s semifinal, the Gusties had a shutout streak spanning over three games and 213 minutes

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Hailey Holland enters Saturday’s title showdown with Saint Mary’s leading the Gusties in goals with 18. She is one of three GAC players to score 10 or more goals this season, being joined by Brooke Power (13) and Sophia Coltvet (12). … GAC’s 84 goals this season have come from 15 different players. … Holland has posted four multiple-goal games — scoring twice in a game three times, while netting a hat trick against Bethel on Nov. 18.

• LENDING A HELPING HAND: Molly McHugh has amassed a team-best 15 assists, with Power, Emily Olson, and Lily Mortenson all sitting second with 12 helpers. Hailey Holland (11) and Kaitlyn Holland (10) have also reached double figures in assists this season. … Hailey Holland, Kaitlyn Holland, and Kylie Scott have all delivered three-assist games this season.

• POINT PRODUCERS: Gustavus boasts nine players who have collected at least 10 points this season, led by Hailey Holland with 29 and Power with 25. McHugh and Olson are tied for third in the points race with 18, followed by Kaitlyn Holland (17), Coltvet (17), Hannah Gray (15), Mortenson (13), and Kylie Scott (12) are the others. … Kaitlyn Holland picked up a season-high five points (2 G, 3 A) against St. Scholastica on Nov. 9.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Katie McCoy has started 24 of the team’s 25 games in goal for the Gusties, compiling a 0.93 goals-against-average and a .944 save percentage. … McCoy has recorded 373 saves — including a season-high 28 saves against both UW-River Falls on Dec. 5 and vs. Augsburg on Jan. 20 — and owns eight shutouts this season. … Maya Marston has appeared in three games between the pipes, including a 13-save shutout of Aurora on Dec. 9.

• GETTING DEFENSIVE: Gustavus currently ranks third in the nation for scoring defense – allowing only 0.92 goals against through 25 games. The team is also first in shutouts with a combined 10, while McCoy is first in the nation individually with eight shutouts to her name. McCoy is also fourth in the NCAA for goals against average (0.93) and ninth for winning percentage (0.826). Last season, the Gustie defense finished as the second-best in the nation with a 0.87 GAA and 13 total shutouts. 

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: The Gusties have outscored their opponents 84-23 through 25 games, and boast a commanding 856-412 advantage in shots on goal. … GAC has allowed just two goals in the first period, outscoring its opponents 29-2 in the game’s opening 20 minutes. The Gusties also hold a 25-12 scoring edge in the second period and a 29-8 advantage in the third. … Gustavus is 19-for-88 on the power play (21.6 %) and have allowed just five goals in its opponents’ 69 PP opportunities (92.8 %). … Gustavus recorded a season-high seven goals against Bethel in a 7-0 win on Nov. 18, while accumulating season-bests in assists (12) and points (18) in a 6-0 victory over St. Scholastica on Nov. 9. … The Gusties picked up a season-high 57 shots on goal against Concordia on Feb. 10.