BLAINE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey returns to conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals head to the Schwan's Super Rink for an MIAC contest against Bethel. Puck drops at 7 p.m.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-3-0 MIAC | 4-9-0 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (3-3-0 MIAC | 5-10-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals closed out their nonconference schedule on a high note, as SMU scored two goals in the third period to rally from a 2-1 deficit and beat defending national champion St. Norbert 3-2 Saturday at the SMU Ice Arena. … Bethel, meanwhile, played a rare nonconference game against a conference opponent last Saturday, falling to St. Thomas 9-4 in Blaine, Minn.

SMU vs. Bethel — A Year Ago:
January 21, 2011: The Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in their MIAC against Bethel, but they could not hold the two-goal advantage, as Bethel scored three unanswered goals in handing SMU a 4-3 conference setback at the SMU Ice Arena.
January 22, 2011: Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.) scored with 30 seconds remaining in regulation, as the Cardinals rallied from a 3-1 deficit to earn a 4-4 tie with the Royals at the Schwan's Super Rink.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return to home on Saturday, hosting the Royals in the second game of the teams' two-game conference series. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at the SMU Ice Arena.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Media Guide
Saturday's 3-2 win over sixth-ranked and defending national champion St. Norbert 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. … Both of SMU's two games last weekend were decided by 3-2 outcomes — the Cardinals dropped a 3-2 decisions to UW-Stevens Point on Friday. … With Saturday's win over St. Norbert, the Cardinals are 3-1 in their last four games. … Eight of SMU's 13 games have been decided by one goal. … Nick Gorup (Omaha, Neb.) had a goal in both games last weekend and has now scored in three of the Cardinals' last four games. … Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.) accounted for SMU's other goal in last Friday's 3-2 loss to UW-Stevens Point, while Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.) and Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.) joined Gorup in finding the back of the net on Saturday against St. Norbert. … Danny Wood (Wilmington, Ohio) assisted on both of SMU's goals vs. UW-Stevens Point Friday, earning the SMU junior his first collegiate two-point game. … Balko's goal vs. St. Norbert Saturday was his team-leading fifth of the season. … Balko also leads the team in points with 10, while Brad Denney (Fishers, Ind.) is the team-leader in assists with six. … Andy Scheib (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.) each turned in 32-save performances last weekend. Scheib kicked out 32 of the 35 shots he faced vs. UW-Stevens Point Friday, while Horstman made 32 saves — including 18 in the third period — in Saturday's win over St. Norbert. … Scheib enters Friday's game at Bethel leading the team with a 3.03 goals-against-average and a .906 save percentage. Horstman, meanwhile, owns a 3.81 GAA and an .888 save percentage. … 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. … All four of SMU's wins this season have come on their home ice. Two of those 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. …  The Cardinals have played two overtime games this season — a 4-3 loss to Hamline on Nov. 12 and a 2-1 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering on Nov. 23. … The 2-1, overtime win over MSOE also snapped the Cardinals' season-opening six-game losing streak. … SMU's 2-1 victory over MSOE was the Cardinals' first overtime win since beating UW-River Falls 2-1 on Jan. 17, 2009. … The Cardinals have been shut out just twice in their last 35 games, with both shutouts coming at the hands of Milwaukee School of Engineering. The Raiders blanked SMU 2-0 on Dec. 3, 2010, and 6-0 on Nov. 23, 2011. … 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 (1-6-0).

Bethel Royals News and Notes:
2011-12 Roster | 2011-12 Statistics | 2011-12 Schedule
Friday's game against Saint Mary's is the fifth straight home game for the Royals, who are 4-3 on their home ice this season. … Saturday's 9-4 nonconference loss against St. Thomas was the Royals' second straight setback. … After opening the season with five straight losses, the Royals went 5-3 in their next eight games, before dropping back-to-back games to UW-Stout and St. Thomas last weekend. … The Tommies' nine goals were the most allowed by Bethel this season. … Chris Fiala, Dan Rowland, Grant Dye and Tyler Swanson accounted for the Royals' four goals vs. UST Saturday. … Jake Kogler enters Friday's game against Saint Mary's as the team-leader in goals (8) and points (13). … Kogler is one of three BU players with 10 or more points through 15 games. Fiala (12) and Jon Crouse (11) are the other two. … Crouse also owns a team-leading nine assists. … Eleven of the Royals' 39 goals have come on the power play. … Dan Harper and Robby Brown have shared the goaltending duties this season, with each appearing in eight games. Brown owns a 3.36 goals-against-average and an .898 save percentage, with Harper close behind with a 4.23 GAA and an .866 save percentage. … Bethel has outscored its opponents 14-8 in the first period, but the Royals have been outscored 24-13 in the second and 26-11 in the third. … BU has scored first in nine of its 15 games, going 5-4-0 when netting the game's first goal. The Royals are winless (0-6-0) when their opponent scores first.