FOND DU LAC, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team closes out the 2010 portion of its schedule Friday night, traveling to Marian for an 8 p.m. nonconference game against the Sabres.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-7-0 Overall) vs.
Marian Sabres (7-5-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals dropped both games in their nonconference series against 11th-ranked Milwaukee School of Engineering last weekend in Milwaukee, Wis. SMU was shut out 2-0 on Friday, then dropped a 7-1 decision on Saturday. Marian, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back wins at Lawrence, beating the Vikings 10-2 last Friday and 5-2 on Saturday.

Last Meeting:
December 1, 2000 — Denny O'Connor netted his third collegiate hat trick — scoring once in all three periods — as SMU cruised to a 5-2 nonconference victory over Marian at the SMU Ice Arena.

December 2, 2000 — Seven different players scored goals as the Cardinals beat Marian 7-4 to complete the two-game nonconference sweep of the visiting Sabres.

Up Next:
Following Friday's game vs. Marian, the Cardinals are off until Jan. 7-8, when they square off against UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire in their final two nonconference games of the season. Marian, meanwhile, is right back on the ice on Saturday, hosting Concordia-Wis. in an 8 p.m. MCHA contest.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Friday's game at Marian marks the fourth of six straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not play at home again until Jan. 14 against St. Olaf. … With their two losses to MSOE last weekend, the Cardinals are still searching for their first road win of the season (0-5-0). … Last Friday's 2-0 loss to MSOE marked the first time this season the Cardinals failed to score at least one goal. … All seven of SMU's losses have come against teams that have been nationally ranked. … Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.) scored a first-period goal last Saturday to account for SMU's lone tally vs. the 11th-ranked Raiders. … Andy Scheib (Sun Prairie, Wis.) stopped a season-high 39 shots vs. the Raiders last Friday. The performance was just two saves shy of the sophomore's career-best 41-save effort against Gustavus on Feb. 19, 2010. … Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.), meanwhile, kicked out 34 shots in Saturday's rematch with the Raiders. … Scheib enters today's rematch vs. MSOE with a 2.42 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage — both team highs. … Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.) boasts a team-best five goals this season. SMU's leading scorer a year ago finished the Cardinals' 25-game schedule with five goals. … Eight SMU players have scored their first collegiate goals this season. … Wentland not only leads the team in goals, but also shares the team lead in points (9) with Balko. … Balko's seven assists are also tops on the team. … The Cardinals' 24 goals this season have come from 14 different players, while 17 players have at least one point. … Through 10 games, the Cardinals still do not have a player with a multiple-goal game. … SMU has scored 11 of its 24 goals in the second period. … SMU netted its first shorthanded goal of the season vs. UW-Stout on Nov. 4. … With their 5-2 and 2-1 wins over Concordia on Nov. 12-13, the Cardinals posted their 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 was their first since opening the 2001-2002 MIAC season with back-to-back wins over Hamline (5-2, 5-2) | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics

Marian Sabres News and Notes:
With their 10-2 win over Lawrence last Friday, Marian snapped its season-high four-game losing streak. … The Sabres' 10 goals vs. Lawrence last Friday were a season high, and the most since netting 11 in an 11-2 win over Northland a year ago. … Five of the Sabres' seven wins have come on their home ice, where Marian boasts a 5-1-0 record. … Matt Williams netted his first collegiate hat trick to fuel the Sabres to their 5-2 sweep-clinching win over Lawrence last Saturday. Williams finished the two-game series with five goals, pushing his team-leading total to 10 goals. … The Sabres have three players with 10 or more assists, led by Nathan Brummitt with 11. … Brendan Hull is the team's point lead with 15. He is one of eight players with 10 or more points. … Josh Baker and Alex Bjerk have shared the goaltending duties this season, combining for a 3.14 goals-against-average and a .914 save percentage. … Marian peppered the Lawrence net with 92 shots over the weekend — including a season-high 54 shots in Saturday's win. … The Sabres are 3-1-0 when scoring the game's first goal, and 4-4-0 when their opponent scores first. … Marian has played two overtime games this season, beating Finlandia 2-1 on Oct. 30, while losing to St. Scholastica 6-5 on Nov. 27 | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics