WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team takes to the ice Friday for the first of two games against Augsburg. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at the SMU Ice Arena.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-5-1 MIAC | 4-11-1 Overall)
vs. Augsburg Auggies (2-5-1 MIAC | 6-10-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals dropped a pair of tough contests against league-leading and nationally ranked St. Thomas last weekend. SMU jumped out to a 2-0 lead, only to surrender four unanswered goals in a 4-2 loss at the SMU Ice Arena last Saturday, then netted the game's first goal in the rematch at the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn., on Saturday, but the Tommies again rallied for a second straight 4-2 win. … Augsburg, meanwhile, picked up one point in their conference series against Hamline. The Auggies battled HU to a 2-2 tie last Friday in Minneapolis, Minn., then dropped a 3-0 decision in the rematch Saturday in Vadnais Heights, Minn.

SMU vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
October 30, 2010: Quick-striking Augsburg 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 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hockey Showcase at Fogerty Arena.
February 4, 2011: Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) scored two goals, but it was not enough, as Augsburg handed SMU a 4-3 setback at Ed Saugestad Ice Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. in the first game of the teams' two-game conference series.
February 5, 2011: Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) scored for the second straight game, but the Cardinals dug themselves a four-goal hole and could not recover, falling to the Auggies 5-3 at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals and Auggies complete their two-game conference series on Saturday, as the two teams square off at Ed Saugestad Ice Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
The Cardinals dropped both of their games against league-leading and nationally ranked St. Thomas by identical 4-2 scores. SMU and the Tommies squared off three times this season, with the Cardinals scoring two goals in all three contests. … Kevin Wentland's (Columbia Heights, Minn.) first-period goal against St. Thomas Saturday snapped the Cardinals' streak of four straight power play goals. SMU netted a pair of power play goals in a 2-2 tie vs. Bethel on Jan. 14, then scored two more goals with the man advantage in Friday's 4-2 loss to UST. … Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.) scored a goal in both games vs. the Tommies, extending the SMU sophomore's consecutive-game goal-scoring streak to five. … During his streak,  Nagel has scored one game-winner — against St. Norbert on Jan. 7 — while also netting the game-tying goal against Bethel on Jan. 14. … Nagel's five-game streak is the longest since Lenny Hofmann scored in six straight games during the 2003-04 season. … A.J. Mueller (New Berlin, Wis.) accounted for the Cardinals' other goal vs. UST last Friday. … Fueled by his five-game goal-scoring streak, Nagel moved into a tie with Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.) for the team lead in goals with six. … Balko also shares the team lead in assists (6) with Brad Denney (Fishers, Ind.) and Tom Healy (Rolling Meadows, Ill.), while boasting a team-best 12 points. … Balko is one of three SMU players who enter this weekend's games against Augsburg with 10 or more points — Nagel (10) and Wentland (10) are the other two. … The Cardinals have now scored 16 power play goals this season. … Andy Scheib (Sun Prairie, Wis.) finished with 23 saves against the Tommies last Friday, while Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) had 22 saves in Saturday's rematch with UST. … Scheib and Horstman have shared the goaltending duties this season, with Scheib owning a 3.26 goals-against-average and an .896 save percentage, while Horstman boasts a 3.45 GAA and an .891 save percentage. … Fifteen of SMU's 17 games have been decided by two goals or less — including eight one-goal decisions and one tie. … SMU's 2-2 tie vs. Bethel on Jan. 21 was the Cardinals' first tie of the season. … The Cardinals have now played three overtime games this season. Along with their 2-2 tie vs. Bethel, the Cardinals dropped a 4-3 decision to Hamline on Nov. 12 and collected a 2-1 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering on Nov. 23. … SMU's 2-1 victory over MSOE was the Cardinals' first overtime win since beating UW-River Falls 2-1 on Jan. 17, 2009. … All four of SMU's wins — and their lone tie — have come on their home ice. … Two of the Cardinals' four wins were by identical 2-1 scores — a 2-1 win over MSOE on Nov. 22 and a 2-1 victory over St. Olaf on Dec. 3. … SMU's 3-2 win over sixth-ranked and defending national champion St. Norbert on Jan. 6 was the Cardinals' second win over a nationally ranked team this season. SMU downed then-eighth ranked Milwaukee School of Engineering 2-1 in overtime on Nov. 22. … The Cardinals equaled their season high with their four-goal effort against Marian on Dec. 9. SMU also scored four goals in a 6-4 loss at Hamline on Nov. 11. … SMU's Dec. 3 win over St. Olaf marked the first time this season SMU has won when its opponent scored the game's first goal (1-6-1). The Cardinals — who scored first in both games against St. Thomas last weekend — are 3-6-0 when scoring first.

Augsburg Auggies News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Last weekend's 2-2 tie and 3-0 loss against Hamline extended the Auggies' winless streak to three straight (0-2-1). … Last Friday's 2-2 tie against Hamline was the Auggies' fourth overtime game of the season, and the first that hasn't resulted in an Augsburg loss (0-4-1). … Last Saturday's 3-0 loss at Hamline marked the third time this season the Auggies have been shut out. … The Auggies have been held to two goals or less in eight of their 10 losses this season. … Trevor Doden and B.J. McClellan accounted for Augsburg's two goals in its 2-2 tie vs. Hamline last Friday. … Doden's goal against the Pipers was his team-leading ninth of the season. … Doden also leads the team with 13 points, while David Hines is the team-leader in assists with 10. … Doden leads a trio of Auggies who enter the weekend series with Saint Mary's boasting 10 or more points. Ben McClellan (11) and Hines (11) are the other two. … Augsburg has gotten goals from 14 different players, while 19 Auggies have recorded at least one point. … Three different goalies have seen action between the pipes for the Auggies this season, led by Justin Lochner, who owns a 3.17 goals-against-average and a .909 save percentage in 16 appearances. … Augsburg has outscored its opponents 44-30 after the game's opening period. … The Auggies are 4-3-0 when scoring first, while going just 2-7-1 when their opponent nets the game's first goal.