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Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

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Chris Ebert

Men's Hockey

Cardinals complete MIAC sweep with 2-1 win over Cobbers

Jake Wanek, SMU Sports Information Office

SMU goalie Andy Scheib does the splits to make a save during Saturday's 2-1 victory over Concordia
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WINONA, Minn. — For the first time since the 2001-02 season, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team has started Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a weekend sweep.

And on Saturday, coach Bill Moore can thank his penalty kill unit for the Cardinals' third straight victory.

SMU killed off four penalties in the third period — including a key 5-on-3 man advantage — while clinging to a one-goal lead and held on to sweep Concordia 2-1 at SMU Ice Arena.

“We talked a lot today about not giving them any easy opportunities, and taking the lanes away,” Moore said. “We blocked a lot of shots tonight.”

On the back end of that great defense was goalie Andy Scheib (Sun Prairie, Wis.), who finished with 29 saves, including 11 in the third period.

Scheib has teamed up with Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) and given the Cardinals a potent 1-2 punch in the net.

“We have two tremendous goalies,” Moore said. “Anytime you have those guys back there, we have a great backbone to our defense.”

The Cardinals got on the board early in the second when Tom Healy (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) found the back of the net off a centering pass from Brad Fusaro (Soldotna, Alaska) on the power play to give SMU a 1-0 lead.

“Tommy was injured a lot of last season and was never quite 100 percent,” said Moore of his junior captain, who has now scored three times in the Cardinals' first six games. “This year is really the first time he has been able to play healthy.”

The Cobbers tied things up midway through the second period on a power-play goal by Pat Dietz, but Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.) answered back, scoring the eventual game-winner with 50 seconds remaining in the second stanza.

“This team works so hard and has given themselves an opportunity to win every night,” said Moore, whose team is back in action on Friday, hosting Hamline in the first game of the teams' two-game MIAC series. “We are getting some breaks and that's due to our hard work.”

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