MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team is back on the road on Friday, as the Cardinals travel to Augsburg for a 7:05 p.m. conference contest against the Auggies.





The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-5-2 MIAC / 4-13-2 Overall)
vs. Augsburg Auggies (2-6-2 MIAC / 8-8-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals picked up one conference point in its two-game series against St. Thomas last weekend. SMU rallied from a 3-1 deficit — getting a goal by Kevin Wentland with 12 seconds remaining in regulation to earn a 3-3 tie vs. the Tommies on Friday at the SMU Ice Arena. UST dominated the rematch Saturday in Mendota Heights, Minn., cruising to a 6-2 victory. … Augsburg, meanwhile, also earned one MIAC point last weekend, falling to league-leading Hamline 5-2 in St. Paul, Minn., on Friday, before earning a 4-4 overtime tie with the Pipers the following night in Minneapolis, Minn.

Earlier This Year:
October 30, 2010: By the time the Cardinals were able to settle into any type of rhythm, they were already staring up out of a 3-0 hole, as the quick-striking Auggies scored three times in the game's opening six minutes en route to an 8-4 win over the Cardinals during the second day of the MIAC Hockey Showcase at Fogerty Arena.

A Year Ago:
February 5, 2010: The Cardinals put together one of their best overall performances of the season against the Auggies — unfortunately, they weren't rewarded for their efforts, as Augsburg scored two goals in the third period en route to a 5-4 MIAC victory at the SMU Ice Arena.

February 6, 2010: The Cardinals did everything coach Bill Moore could ask of them, and yet it still wasn't enough, as the Auggies scored twice in the first period, erasing an early, 1-0 SMU lead en route to a 4-2 conference win in Minneapolis, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home for the second game of their two-game conference series against Augsburg on Saturday. Puck drops at 7 p.m. at the SMU Ice Arena.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
SMU's five goals vs. St. Thomas last weekend came from five different players — Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.), Brad Denney (Fishers, Ind.) and Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.) scored for the Cardinals on Friday, while Scott Deur (Big Rapids, Mich.) and Mike Schaber (Blaine, Minn.) accounted for SMU's two goals on Saturday. … Deur's goals was the first of his collegiate career. … Both of SMU's goals vs. the Tommies on Saturday were unassisted. … With last Friday's 3-3 tie against St. Thomas, the Cardinals snapped an 18-game losing streak against the Tommies. SMU's last win vs. UST was a 6-2 victory on Jan. 18, 2002. … Last Friday's game against St. Thomas marked the Cardinals' second straight overtime tie — SMU and Bethel had battled to a 4-4 deadlock in Arden Hills, Minn., on Jan. 22. … Last Friday's game also marked the second straight game in which SMU scored in the game's final minute to earn the tie. … Wentland scored the game-tying goal in each of SMU's last two ties — scoring with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation against Bethel on Jan. 22, then netting the game-tying goal with 12 seconds left vs. St. Thomas last Friday. … The goal was Wentland's team-leading 10th of the season. … Wentland — who has recorded a point in 13 of the team's 19 games — also leads the team in points with 19 and shares the team lead in assists (9) with Balko. … Wentland's 10 goals are the most since Steve Murphy netted 11 during the 2008-2009 season, while his 19 points are the most since Anthony Bohn compiled 31 points during the 2007-2008 season. … Balko has scored seven goals during his freshman campaign. … Balko, Wentland and Ryan Griffiths (Arvada, Colo.) have all recorded two-goal games this season. … Tim High (Goodview, Va.) played the final 17:12 in relief of starter Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) on Saturday, stopping all nine shots he faced in his first collegiate appearance. … SMU's 2-0 win over St. Olaf on Jan. 14 — in which Horstman recorded his first collegiate shutout with 27 saves — was the Cardinals' first shutout since Ryne Ess and Curtis Nosal combined on a 19-save shutout in SMU's 5-0 win over Augsburg on Jan. 24, 2004. It was also just the second SMU shutout in the last decade. … The Cardinals' 45 goals this season have come from 18 different players, while 20 players have at least one point. … The Cardinals' 6-2 loss at St. Thomas Saturday snapped a streak of four straight games in which SMU netted three of more goals. … With their 6-2 loss at St. Thomas Saturday, the Cardinals fell to 0-10-1 on the road this season. … Eight of SMU's 13 losses have come against teams that have been nationally ranked. … All four of SMU's wins have come when the Cardinals scored first. SMU is 0-8-0 when its opponent scores first. … SMU netted its only 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

Augsburg Auggies News and Notes:
Saturday's 4-4 tie against nationally ranked Hamline snapped the Auggies' four-game losing streak. … The tie, however, also extended the Auggies' winless streak to six straight (0-4-2). Augsburg's last win was a 3-2 victory over St. Olaf on Jan. 8. … Nine of Augsburg's 19 games have been decided by one goal or less. … With Saturday's tie vs. Hamline, Augsburg has now played in five overtime games — beating UW-Eau Claire (2-1) and St. Olaf (3-2), while tying UW-River Falls (2-2), Gustavus (2-2) and Hamline (4-4). … Augsburg has scored three goals or more in seven of its eight wins — including a season-high eight goals in their 8-4 win over Saint Mary's on Oct. 30. … Nick Guran had a hand in all four Augsburg goals vs. Hamline last Saturday, scoring once and assisting on the other three. … Joel Sauer had a goal and an assist in the 4-4 tie, while Mario Mjelleli and Jim Jensen also scored. … Brandon Bukowski and John Lennartson accounted for Augsburg's two goals in last Friday's 5-2 loss to the Pipers. … Guarn's goal vs. Hamline last Saturday was his team-leading 12th of the season. Sauer, meanwhile, leads the squad in assists (17) and points (28). … Augsburg boasts four players who have recorded 10 or more points — Sauer (28), Guran (25), Jensen (17) and Mjelleli (16). … Augsburg's 56 goals have come from 16 different players, while 20 Auggies have recorded at least one point. … Justin Lochner has appeared in 16 of the team's 19 games in goal, compiling a 2.43 goals-against-average and a .915 save percentage. … Augsburg is 7-1-2 in games it scores first, while the Auggies have won just once (1-7-1) when their opponent nets the game's first goal | 2010-2011 Overall Statistics