LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University women's hockey team concludes it season-opening two-game nonconference series against Lake Forest on Saturday afternoon. Puck drops at 2 p.m.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-1 Overall)
at Lake Forest Foresters (0-0-1 Overall)

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Last Night:
The Cardinals and Foresters opened their season with a 2-2 tie Friday evening, as SMU got goals from Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.).

SMU vs. Lake Forest — Their Last Meeting:
October 31, 2009: Lake Foreset scored three times in the second period and twice more in the third in beating the Cardinals 5-4 in the first game of their two-game nonconference series in Lake Forest, Ill.
November 1, 2009: Kaye Collier stopped 39 shots in her first collegiate start, but it was not enough, as Lake Forest completed the two-game sweep with a 4-0 victory in Lake Forest, Ill.

Up Next:
The Cardinals kick off the home portion of their 2011-12 season next weekend, hosting St. Norbert in a 7 p.m. contest next Friday, then entertaining Concordia-WI at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Both games are at the SMU Ice Arena. … Lake Forest, meanwhile, opens NCHA play on the road next weekend, traveling to UW-Superior for a 4 p.m. contest Friday, then squaring off against the Yellowjackets at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2010-11 Final Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
The Cardinals got goals from Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Breanna Peterson (Macomb, Mich.) in their 2-2 tie against Lake Forest Friday. … Haley Coolsaet (Grosse Island, Mich.), meanwhile, assisted on both SMU goals Friday evening. … Coolsaet was the team's goal-scoring leader a year ago, netting 11 goals — the most by an SMU freshman since Melissa Mondo netted 15 in her 2003-04 freshman campaign. … Coolsaet recorded at least one point in 12 of the team's 25 games, and recorded her first collegiate hat trick in SMU's 5-2 win over Concordia on Nov. 13. … Sarah Gustafson (Esko, Minn.) stopped 25 shots — including 10 in the third period and three more in the overtime — to help preserve SMU's 2-2 tie vs. the Foresters. … Gustafson finished with a team-leading 1.83 goals-against-average and a .946 save percentage in eight starts as a freshman a year ago. … Gustafson recorded her first collegiate shutout on Dec. 4, stopping all 41 shots she faced in blanking St. Catherine 4-0. Gustafson also shut out Augsburg on Feb. 4, needing just 11 saves to blank the Auggies 5-0. … The Cardinals closed out the 2010-11 season with 11 wins, marking the second straight season — and 10th time in the program's history — that SMU has won 10 or more games in a season. … Nicole Olson (New Brighton, Minn.) closed out her junior year as the team's leader in assists (14) and points (23). … SMU scored first in 12 of its 25 games, going 11-0-1. SMU was 0-11-2 when its opponent scores first. … Friday's were not kind to the Cardinals during conference play a year ago, as SMU went 1-5-3 in their nine MIAC games on Friday nights. … The Cardinals opened the season with three straight wins. SMU's 3-0-0 start was its first since going 4-0-0 to open the 1999-2000 season — the program's second year of existence.

Lake Forest Foresters News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2010-11 Final Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Lake Forest picked up right where it left off a year ago with Friday's tie. The Foresters played three overtime games last season, wtih all three ending in ties. … Maeve Connelly and Laura Reckdenwald accounted for Lake Forest's two goals vs. Saint Mary's Friday night, while goalie Stacy Dierking — who appeared in seven games as a freshman a year ago — made 22 saves. … The Foresters are coming off a 9-8-3 season a year ago, including an appearance in the NCA tournament quarterfinals, where they lost to UW-Superior 1-0 in a 20-minute mini-game, after splitting the first two games of the series. … Lake Forest will take to the ice against Saint Mary's having graduated its top two scorers — Melissa Kravich and Lynn Switaj — from a year ago. … Kravich owned the team lead in both assists (15) and points (22), while Switaj was the team-leader in goals with nine. … Lake Forest boasted four players with 10 or more assists and 10 players with 10 or more points. … Jessica Dare is Lake Forest's top returning offensive performer, scoring nine goals and adding 10 assists as a junior last season. … The Foresters will also have a different look between the pipes, as regular goalies Alyssa Wintermute and Brittany Lemke both graduated, after having combined for a 49-31-7 record, 2,171 saves, 12 shutouts and a .913 save percentage during their collegiate careers. … The Foresters scored first in 15 of their 26 games in 2010-11, going 12-2-1.