Game Summary

DULUTH, Minn. — This time around, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team left little doubt.

After four straight one goal goals – including back-to-back losses to UW-River Falls (2-1) and UW-Superior (3-2) in their last two games — the Cardinals weren't about to suffer through yet another nailbiter, jumping out to a 3-1 lead and cruising to a 5-1 victory over St. Scholastica Saturday afternoon.

The Cardinals, who fell behind 3-0 and had their third-period comeback fall one goal short in Friday's 3-2 loss to UW-Superior, got on the board first Saturday when Marcus Reszka (Winona, Minn.) scored an unassisted goal less than three minutes into the first period.

Tim McNamara (Hastings, Minn.) made it 2-0 with his second goal in as many games midway through the second period, and David Gross (Grasston, Minn.) pushed the Cardinal advantage to 3-0 with an unassisted tally early in the third stanza. St. Scholastica ruined Ryne Ess' (Eden Prairie, Minn.) shutout bid when Shawn Barlette scored at 5:15 of the third period, but SMU made sure there would be no late-game Saints' heroics, as Jesse Polk (Hastings, Minn.) and Cullum Buetow-Staples (Arden Hills, Minn.) scored 11 seconds apart late in the period to seal the win.

Ess finished with 27 saves for the Cardinals, who snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 2-4-0, while Saints' goalie Corey Wogtech stopped 32 of the Cardinals' 32 shots in the loss.