The first full week of Cardinal athletics has concluded and there is so much to be excited about. The women’s hockey team will host two games of a three game week, the women’s basketball team will have their home opener on Saturday, and the men’s basketball team hits the road for a solo game this week.
Women’s Hockey Busy Week
The Cardinals are currently on a two game losing streak after falling to Hamline twice last weekend. The Cardinals (2-3) are looking to bounce back with plenty of opportunities this upcoming week. The Cardinals will face ranked UW-Eau Claire on Tuesday at SMU Ice Arena for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The Cardinals will host again on Friday night against conference opponent St Catherine University. They will then travel to St. Kates for game two of two series at 2 p.m.
The Cardinals previously defeated the Bluegolds 3-2 earlier in the year and notched the upset. Since that loss, the Blugolds have won their last four games and recently swept St. Olaf.
The St. Kates Wildcats have a similar record as the Cardinals (2-3) splitting with Bethel this past weekend and being swept by UW-Stevens Point the week prior. The Wildcats defeated the Royals by three goals on Saturday. Historically, Saint Mary’s and St. Catherine go neck and neck. The Cardinals defeated the Wildcats twice last year and are hoping to make that happen again.
Women’s Basketball Split Contests
The Cardinals (1-1) opened up their season at the Cornell Classic in Iowa over the weekend and split their weekend trip away. They defeated host school Cornell on day one and lost to Coe College Sunday. The team will play two more non-conference opponents this week. The Cardinals will travel to Ashland to take on Northland College on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. tip off. They will end the weekend hosting Luther College at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
On Tuesday, the Cardinals will take on the Lumber Jills of Northland. They are in search of their first win of the season, falling 0-2 in the early season. The Cardinals defeated the Jills last year to notch one of their two wins of the entire season.
The Cardinals home opener is this Saturday at 2 p.m. as they take on Luther College (2-0.) The Norse have won big over their last two opponents beating Crown College and University of Northwestern Minnesota.
Men’s Basketball on the Road
The Saint Mary’s men’s basketball (2-1) team had a historic game this past Saturday as they took on Division One opponent University of Illinois-Chicago in Chicago and put up a fight. It was the first time in program history that a team played a DI school. This week, they will build off arguably the toughest team they will face this year and will take on UW-River Falls Saturday at 5 p.m.
The River Falls Falcons also faced a DI opponent to start their season. They took on University of Wisconsin and were in it almost the entire game. Since the exhibition, the Falcons have gone winless losing to Macalester and Crown College. The Cardinals beat Crown College in their season opener, 87-80.
Goodluck to all the student-athletes that are competing this week. Live stats and live streaming will be available on our website. Go Cardinals!
