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WINONA, Minn. — For the fourth straight game, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team netted two goals Friday evening against Augsburg.

Like the three games before, however, two goals was not enough for the win, as Augsburg held off the Cardinals 3-2 at the SMU Ice Arena.

The Auggies jumped out to a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the opening period as a Tim Serretore's shot eluded SMU goalie Jason Horstman at 7:55. Five minutes later Trevor Deden pushed the Auggies' lead to 2-0 with his team-leading 10th goal of the season.

Fortunately for SMU, when you've got red-hot Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.) on your team, no lead is too great, as the Cardinals' sophomore scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season — including at least one tally in six straight games — with less than two minutes remaining to cut the Augsburg lead to 2-1 heading into the locker room after one period.

Augsburg didn't waste any tie regaining its two-goal cushion, as Niklas Almstrom scored just 53 seconds into the second period.

Things would remain 3-1 until there were less than five minutes remaining in regulation, when Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.) buried his sixth goal of the season — to go with his sixth assist of the year on Nagel's first-period goal — to pull SMU within one, 3-2.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, there were no more late-game heroics, as the Auggies held SMU of the board over the final five minutes to seal the win.

Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) finished with 22 saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Jason Lochner kicked out 34 of SMU's 36 shots for the Auggies.

The Cardinals (1-7-1 MIAC, 4-13-1 overall) get a second shot at Augsburg on Saturday, traveling to Ed Saugestad Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7:05 p.m. contest against the Auggies.