Game Summary

ST. PETER, Minn. — Three minutes.

For the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team, that amount of time — 180 seconds — was the difference between a win and a loss Friday night.

Gustavus scored two goals 25 seconds apart in the final minute of the second period, then added a third 1:54 into the third period en route to a key 4-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over the Cardinals.

With the victory, the Gusties (8-3-2 MIAC, 12-8-2 overall) padded their second-place cushion over the Cardinals (7-5-1 MIAC, 12-8-2 overall) to three points as both teams battle to earn one of the remaining four post-season playoff spots.

Nearly the entire first two periods proved to be a duel between SMU goaltender Eric Richardson (Skokie, Ill.) and Gustavus goalie Dan Melde. Richardson stopped the first 12 shots he faced, while Melde was perfect 22-for-22 in save opportunities.

Then came the final 47 seconds of the second period.

With Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove) in the penalty box for hooking, the Gusties finally get one past Richardson on a powerplay goal by Justin Davis.

Twenty-five seconds later, Jarod Klava tallies the first of his two goals to put Gustavus on top 2-0 heading into the final 20 minutes of play.

Down, but far from out, the Cardinals waste little time cutting the Gusties' lead in half as Mark Gryniewski (Shoreview, Minn.) took a feed from Chad Damerow (Albert Lea, Minn.) and beat Melde just 1:10 into the third period.

Unfortunately, the one-goal deficit lasted all of 44 seconds, as Klava beat Richardson a second time to give Gustavus a 3-1 advantage. Joe Ulwelling added the Gusties' fourth goal at the 8:31 mark, and Melde turned aside the final five shots he faced to seal the win.