ST. PAUL, MINN. – The St. Catherine University hockey team could not have asked for a better start to the 2017-18 season. The Wildcats dominated in their opening game of the year, beating Finlandia University by a final score of 3-1. After the impressive road win last week, St. Kate's will return home Friday for its home opener against the University of Wisconsin-Superior at Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Friday's 7:30 puck drop opens a home-and-home series between the Wildcats and Yellowjackets, which may be one of the most exciting series of the year. After Friday's game, St. Kate's will travel to UW-Superior for game two on Saturday, which is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

Live stats will be available for fans who cannot attend Friday's game in person, while live stats and video will be available Saturday. Score updates can also be found on St. Kate's official Twitter page (@stkateswildcats) both Friday and Saturday.

Here are the five facts to know before tonight's 7:30 puck drop between the Wildcats and Yellowjackets:

5 – St. Kate's junior class was on fire in the season-opener against Finlandia University, as five different Wildcats tallied at least one point in the victory. Brede Postier (Dodge County, Minn. / Hamline), Laken Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley), and Morgan Tentis (Victoria, Minn. / Chanhassen) scored St. Kate's three goals, while Tori Thompson (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) and Mackenzie Ess (Burnsville, Minn. / Apple Valley) each tallied an assist.

8 – Eight new players dressed in the Wildcats game against the Lion last week, seven first years and one transfer. Postier, a transfer from Hamline, started the game at center for St. Kate's, while Veronica Gruett (Woodbury, Minn. / Revolution), Ashlyn Rakos (Waconia, Minn. / Holy Family), Sarah Montrose (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall), Alison Hutter (Mayville, N.D. / Crookston), Hunter Gallus (Delano, Minn. / Mound-Westonka) and Emilee Anderson (Chanhassen, Minn. / Chanhassen) made their collegiate debut. Bryce Boreen (Cottage Grove, Minn. / Park-Cottage Grove) dressed as the back up goalie.

58 – The Wildcats tallied 58 shots in their 3-1 win over Finlandia last week, the teams highest shot total of the season. On the flip side, the Lions tallied only 11 shots against St. Kate's stalwart defense, led by senior goalie Kristen Pechacek (Park Falls, Wis. / Chequamegon).

33 – Pechacek had one of her best performances of the season in the Wildcats 4-1 win over UW-Superior last season. She faced 33 shots in the game, including 16 in the third period, and surrendered just one goal in 60 minutes of play to earn her first win of the season.

6 – Last season, St. Kate's scored six goals in the series against UW-Superior, one if its highest scoring series of the season. Five different Wildcats, including current sophomore Lexi Muller (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) and Tentis, scored over the course of two days to help St. Kate's split the series against the then-ranked Yellowjackets.