ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Special teams proved to be extra-special for the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team Saturday evening.

So did the performance of Cardinal goalie Dan Smith (Rochester, Minn.).

SMU scored a pair of power-play goals and Smith kicked out 29 of 30 shots, including 20 over the game's final two periods, as the Cardinals knocked off Saint John's 2-1 at the National Hockey Center.

"This was a huge win, no question about that," said SMU coach Don Olson, whose Cardinals have now won two straight and are 2-0-1 in their last three games. "We've been playing so well all season, but haven't always been rewarded for the effort. Tonight, the guys worked very hard, and in the end, they got a big, big win to show for their effort."

The Johnnies got on the board first, as Jason Weigel beat Smith on the powerplay midway through the opening period.

That, however, was the last time the Johnnies would get the puck past Smith, as the SMU junior stymied SJU on numerous occasions en route to his first collegiate MIAC win.

"Dan played very well," praised Olson of his junior goalie. "He made some really big saves, especially in the second period and kept us in the game."

David Gross (Grasston, Minn.) pulled the Cardinals even, netting his team-leading seventh goal of the season at 16:51 of the opening period, as the teams headed into the second period tied, 1-1.

Anthony Bohn (Spring Hill, Fla.) gave SMU the lead midway through the second period, and Smith made it stand up as the Cardinals snapped an eight-game losing streak vs. the Johnnies, dating back to a 4-3 overtime win during the 2001-02 season.

"Tonight was a total team effort and a great win," said Olson, whose team will square off against the Johnnies again Sunday in the second game of their two-game MIAC series. "But now the key is going to be putting together a repeat performance (on Sunday)."