Box Score Game Summary / GameDay Preview

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Thanks to Saturday's 4-3 victory over Saint John's, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team entered their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rematch against the Johnnies with their MIAC playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that thread snapped Sunday, as SJU scored three first-period goals and handed SMU a 4-2 setback at the National Hockey Center.

"We just didn't play as well today as we did (Saturday night)," said SMU coach Bill Moore. "We knew our chances (of making the MIAC playoffs) were pretty slim, but we had to win today to have any chance — and we just didn't have the jump we needed."

The Johnnies raced out to a 2-0 lead in the game's opening six minutes, before Brad Denney (Fishers, Ind.) cut the SJU lead in half with his fourth goal of the game on the power play at 7:12. Saint John's would tack on one more first-period goal with 1:16 remaining as SJU took a 3-1 cushion into the locker room after 20 minutes.

After a scoreless second period — in which SJU outshot the Cardinals 12-10 — the Johnnies padded their lead to 4-1, as Axel Ramsgard scored his first goal of the season, beating SMU goalie Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) five minutes into the third period.

The Cardinals' Danny Wood (Wilmington, Ohio) closed out the scoring at 19:53, as the freshman forward netted his second of the season.

Horstman finished with 34 saves in goal for SMU, while SJU's Tony Civello stopped 20 of the Cardinals' 22 shots.

The Cardinals (4-8-2 MIAC, 5-16-2 overall) close out their season next weekend, hosting Gustavus in a 7 p.m. conference contest on Friday at the SMU Ice Arena, then traveling to St. Peter, Minn., on Saturday for a 7 p.m. rematch at the Gusties' Don Roberts Ice Arena.