Game Summary

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Slow starts have plagued the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team all season.

So have fast, but not fast enough finishes.

Entering Saturday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against St. Thomas, the Cardinals had been outscored 15-9 in the first period, while outscoring their opponents 13-8 and 13-10 in the second and third periods, respectively.

Yet, despite their constant late-game offense outbursts, the Cardinals did not have a come-from-behind win to their credit.

Until Saturday night.

SMU got a pair of goals from Adam Fingerhut (Oak Brook, Ill.) and another from Jesse Polk (Hastings, Minn.) in a three-goal third period as the Cardinals rallied from a 2-1 second-period deficit to beat St. Thomas, 4-2 — snapping their three-game MIAC losing streak and earning a much-needed conference split against the Tommies.

UST got on the board first on a first-period goal by Colin Greenless. Cullum Buetow-Staples (Arden Hills, Minn.) knotted the game 1-1 midway through the second period, but Nick Harris' goal gave the Tommies a 2-1 advantage heading into the third period.

The Cardinals' period.

Fingerhut tallied a powerplay goal early in the third to tie the game, then added his second of the game minutes later. Polk gave SMU some breathing room with his team-leading sixth of the game on the powerplay with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

The Cardinals, who moved to 1-3 in the MIAC and 4-7 overall, are now off until Jan. 6, when they travel to Milwaukee, Wis., for a two-game nonconference series against Milwaukee School of Engineering.