EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team closes out its nonconference schedule on Saturday, traveling to UW-Eau Claire. Puck drops at 7 p.m. at Hobbs Ice Center.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-9-0 Overall) vs.
UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (9-5-0 Overall)

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Last Night:
The Cardinals gave up the game's first three goals and could not claw their way back in falling to UW-River Falls 4-1 Friday evening in River Falls, Wis. UW-Eau Claire, meanwhile, picked up its ninth win of the season Friday, slipping past St. Thomas 4-3 in Eau Claire, Wis.

Last Meeting:
January 8, 2010 — UW-Eau Claire broke a 1-1 tie with two second-periods goals two minutes apart and never looked back in handing the Cardinals a 4-2 nonconference setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return to conference play on Jan. 14-15 with a two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against St. Olaf. SMU hosts the Oles on Jan. 14, then travels to Northfield, Minn., for the rematch the following day. UW-Eau Claire, meanwhile, gets back into NCHA play on Jan. 14-15 with a two-game series at St. Norbert.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
Tonight's game marks the sixth of six straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not play at home again until Jan. 14 against St. Olaf. … SMU's loss to UW-River Falls Friday marked the fourth straight game in which the Cardinals were held to one goal or less. … After scoring 18 goals in their first six games, the Cardinals have been held to eight goals in their last six games. … With their loss to UW-River Falls, the Cardinals are still searching for their first road win of the season (0-6-0). … Seven of SMU's nine losses have come against teams that have been nationally ranked. … Blake Zemaitis (Mount Prospect, Ill.) scored the Cardinals' goal against UW-River Falls Friday. It was his third of the season … SMU goalie Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) stopped a season-high 41 shots in the Cardinals' loss to UW-River Falls.  … 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 holds the team's points lead with 11. … Austin Balko's (Midland, Mich.) seven assists are tops on the team. … The Cardinals' 26 goals this season have come from 14 different players, while 17 players have at least one point. … Through 11 games, the Cardinals still do not have a player with a multiple-goal game. … The Cardinals are 3-3-0 when scoring first, but are winless (0-7-0) when their opponent scores first. … 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

UW-Eau Claire Blugolds News and Notes:
Tonight's game against Saint Mary's is the fifth straight home game for the Blugolds, who will play their next five contests away from Hobbs Ice Center. … The Blugolds' Dec. 11 3-2 loss at home to UW-Stevens Point snapped their season-high five-game winning streak. … UW-Eau Claire's four goals vs. St. Thomas came from four different players — including the third-period game-winner off the stick of Tyler Romasco. … The Blugolds boast four players with 10 or more points, led by Ross Janecyk's team-high 14 points. … Romasco and Kurt Weston lead the team with eight goals — both had one goal vs. UST Friday. … Andrew Wilcox is the team's assist leader, entering tonight's game with 10 helpers. … Seventeen players have accounted for UW-EC's 47 goals, while 22 of the team's 25 players have recorded at least one point. … Goalie Brandon Stephenson — who stopped 26 shots in Friday's win over St. Thomas — has played in 11 of the team's 14 games, compiling a 2.65 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. … UW-EC has scored first in seven of their nine wins. … The Blugolds have outscored their opponents 26-10 in the second period, but have been outscored 18-9 in the third — including all three goals vs. UST Friday. … UW-EC has played two overtime games this season, falling to Augsburg 2-1 on Nov. 6, while beating Adrian 4-3 on Nov. 26. … Six of the Blugolds' 13 games have been decided by one goal — UWEC is 3-3-0 in those six games | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics