Game Summary

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — When you are going up against one of the nation's best teams, sometimes you have to look beyond the final score.

On Saturday, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team did something just one other team had been able to do against St. John's — take the Johnnies to overtime. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the end result was the same as 14 teams before them, a loss, 3-2 at the National Hockey Center.

On Sunday, in the second game of the team's two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series, the Cardinals' Travis VanDynHoven (River Falls, Wis.) netted a powerplay goal — just the fourth powerplay goal in 88 chances allowed by the Johnnies.

Another silver lining, but another loss, too, as St. John's erupted for three second-period goals en route to a 6-2 victory.

Despite the back-to-back losses, there were plenty of those silver linings for the Cardinals against the conference's best team:

* St. John's entered the weekend averaging 5.6 goals-per-game — SMU held the Johnnies to eight goals (4.0 gpg).

* The Johnnies led the national in goals-against-average (1.35) and had allowed just 12 goals in 15 games — SMU scored four times (2.0 gpg).

* SJU goalie Adam Hanna boasted a nation's-best .935 save percentage — but stopped just 42 of 46 (.913) vs. SMU.

Unlike Saturday's nailbiter, the Johnnies left little doubt on Sunday, jumping out to a 2-0 first-period advantage before VanDynHoven netted his first collegiate goal to cut the gap to 2-1 after one period.

Then the roof caved in on SMU.

Andy Johnson, Pat Eagles and Dustin Mercado scored in a three-minute span midway through the second period to give the Johnnies — winners of 23 straight vs. MIAC opponents and 32 in a row during the regular season — a 5-1 cushion heading into the third period.

Mike Hanke made it 6-1 four minutes into the third, before Graham Murphy (St. Louis, Mo.) closed out the scoring with his fourth of the season four minutes later.

Ryne Ess (Eden Prairie, Minn.) stopped 35 shots for the Cardinals, while Hanna had 20 saves for the Johnnies.