Box Score

	vs.
4		2

Game Summary / GameDay Online

WINONA, Minn. — Heading into Tuesday's nonconference game against 10th-ranked UW-Stout, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team had faced three nationally ranked teams — and were still searching for their first win, going 0-1-2 in those three games — with all three games going into overtime.

Tuesday evening's game at the SMU Ice Arena didn't got into overtime — the Cardinals didn't need it.

Andy Roberts (Rochester, Minn.) and Kevin Eidsmo (Chanhassen, Minn.) scored goals less than a minute apart early in the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending SMU to the 4-2 victory.

"We played very well," said SMU coach Don Olson, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak — both ends of a two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against Hamline last weekend — with the victory., "I wasn't really sure how we were going to respond after last weekend. Everyone was pretty down (after the Hamline  series), but they came out and played very well.

"This game was definitely a big confidence booster for us."

The Blue Devils got on the board first, as Paul Henderson beat Cardinal goalie Dan Smith (Rochester, Minn.) four minutes into the opening period. Morgan Shepherd (Brainerd, Minn.) and Matt Staehely (Shorewood, Ill.) responded with back-to-back goals four minute apart midway through the period to give SMU a 2-1 edge after the game's opening 20 minutes.

UW-Stout's Luke Schroeder knotted things at 2-2, netting his fifth of the season, on the powerplay, midway thorugh period No. 2.

Roberts gave the Cardinals the lead for good with his first of the season at 4:59 of the third period, and Eidsmo followed  that up with his third of the year 23 seconds later to ice the win.

"We've played very well (against nationally ranked teams) all season," said Olson, whose team battled UW-Superior (ranked No. 9 at the time) to a season-opening 4-4 tie, settled for another 4-4 tie against then-No. 1 UW-River Falls to another 4-4 tie, then falling to current No. 1 St. Norbert 3-2 in OT. "It's nice for the guys to finally get rewarded for those efforts.

"We needed a big bounce-back game like this — hopefully we can carry it over into the rest of our conference schedule."