Box Score Game Summary / GameDay Preview

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team had a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep within their grasp Saturday afternoon, sporting a 3-0 lead with six minutes remaining in the second period.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals and coach Bill Moore, the Oles proved to be a rather slippery opponent, as St. Olaf scored once in the second period and three times in the third — including the game-winner with 27 seconds remaining in regulation — en route to a 4-3 conference win over SMU.

“It's disappointing,” said Moore, whose team had blanked the Oles 2-0 in the team's first game of the two-game conference series Friday evening at the SMU Ice Arena. “We played so well for five periods this weekend, and let (St. Olaf) off the hook in the third period.

“The first two periods were outstanding — we just have to finish,” Moore added. “We've got a lot of young guys, and they've got to learn how to win — they have to learn what it takes to win.”

After a scoreless first period, the Cardinals broke the 0-0 deadlock six minutes into the middle stanza, as Chase Marshall (Maple Grove, Minn.) netted his third goal of the season. Two minutes later, it was 2-0 SMU, as Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.) tallied the first of SMU's two powerplay goals. Brad Fusaro (Soldotna, Alaska) pushed the Cardinals' lead to 3-0 at 10:25, corralling a loose puck and beating St. Olaf goalie Nick Krause.

And with a three-goal cushion with less than a period-and-a-half remaining, it appeared the Cardinals were in complete control.

As the Cardinals quickly learned, it only appeared that way.

Joel Lundstrom got the Oles on the board with an unassisted tally at 14:07 of the second period — and gave St. Olaf the spark it needed.

Lundstrom added his second of the game — and of the season — four minutes into the third period and Jeff Warren knotted things at 3-3 three minutes later, settingt up Isak Tranvik's late-game heroics, as the senior forward beat SMU goalie Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) with 27 seconds left in regulation.

“It's a tough way to lose, giving up the game-winner with less than 30 seconds remaining,” said Moore, whose team is back in conference play next weekend, hosting Bethel on Friday night, before heading to Blaine, Minn., for the rematch with the Royals on Saturday. “We just need to put this game behind us and start preparing for Bethel.”