WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team, coming a conference-opening weekend sweep of Concordia, completes a five-game homestand Friday, hosting Hamline in a 7 p.m. MIAC contest at the SMU Ice Arena.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0-0 MIAC / 3-3-0 Overall) vs.
Hamline Pipers (0-0-0 MIAC / 3-1-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals scored two second-period goals and killed off four third-period penalties in beating Concordia 2-1 Saturday at the SMU Ice Arena to complete their MIAC sweep of the Cobbers. SMU posted a 5-2 conference win on Friday night. Hamline, meanwhile, has been off since Nov. 5-6, when the Pipers split their two home games against NCHA opponents — beating third-ranked St. Norbert 4-3, while falling to UW-Stevens Point 5-1.

A Year Ago:
November 20, 2009: Hamline rattled off five unanswered goals — including two in a 24-second span early in the second period — en route to a 5-1 conference win over SMU at the Drake Ice Arena.

November 21, 2009: The Cardinals surrendered what proved to be the game-winning goal in the first minute of the third period, as Hamline held off SMU 3-2 to complete the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals travel to Hamline Saturday evening for the second game of the teams' two-game conference series. The puck drops at 7 p.m. at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
With Saturday's win over Concordia, the Cardinals posted its first conference sweep since beating the Cobbers twice (14-3, 7-2) during the 2007-2008 season. … The Cardinals' 2-0 start to the conference schedule, meanwhile, is their first since opening the 2001-2002 MIAC season with back-to-back wins over Hamline (5-2, 5-2). … Tom Healy (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) scored in both games vs. Concordia last weekend, while the Cardinals' other five goals came from five different players — Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.), Tim Wolford (Maple Grove, Minn.), Blake Zemaitis (Mount Prospect, Ill.), Nick Carson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Brad Denney (Fishers, Ind.). … The goals by Wolford and Carson were the first of their collegiate careers. … SMU is still searching for its first individual two-goal game. … After scoring three power-play goals through their first four games, the Cardinals erupted for five power-play goals vs. the Cobbers — including four in Friday's 5-2 win. … With their goals Saturday, Wentland and Healy moved into a tie for the team lead in goals (3), while Wentland shares the team's points lead (5) with Denney and Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.). … Balko's five assists are also a team high. … Andy Scheib (Sun Prairie, Wis.) earned his first win of the season Saturday, stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced from the Cobbers. … Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) stopped 26 of the Cobbers' 28 shots Friday in earning his second straight win. … Scheib enters this weekend's games against Hamline with a 2.34 goals-against-average and a .924 save percentage. Horstman, meanwhile, has a 3.67 GAA and an .874 save percentage in his three starts. … SMU has scored 10 of its 18 goals in the second period — including both in Saturday's 2-1 win vs. Concordia. … Two of SMU's three losses have been by one goal — 2-1 vs. eighth-ranked Gustavus and 4-3 vs. UW-Stout. … SMU netted its first shorthanded goal of the season vs. UW-Stout on Nov. 4. … Today's game vs. Hamline is the last of five straight home games for the Cardinals, who will start a six-game road swing with Saturday's conference rematch at Hamline | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Hamline Pipers News and Notes:
After opening the season with three straight wins, the Pipers suffered their first loss of the year with their 5-1 setback against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 6. … Hamline had scored 10 goals in its season-opening, three-game winning streak. … Two-time All-American Chris Berenguer has scored a team-high four goals in the Pipers' first four games, while also adding three assists for a team-best seven points. … Danny Vranek leads the team with four assists. … Hamline's 11 goals have come from five players. … Matt Hemingway and Beau Christian have shared the goaltending duties, with Hemingway compiling a 2.34 goals-against-average and a .917 save percentage in three games, while Christian has a 3.00 GAA and a .927 save percentage in his lone start. … Hemingway stopped all 27 shots he faced in blanking Saint John's 3-0 on Oct. 29 for his first collegiate shutout. … Five of the 10 goals allowed by the Pipers have come in the second period. … Hamline has scored first in all three of its wins | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics