Box Score  | GameDay Preview

BLAINE, Minn. — If Saint Mary's University men's hockey coach Bill Moore learned anything from his team's season-opening game against Bethel Saturday afternoon, it's that his Cardinals can score goals.

A lot of goals.

SMU erupted for six goals in the first two periods and never looked back in handing Bethel a 7-2 nonconference setback during the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Hockey Showcase at Fogerty Arena.

“I'm very proud of our guys,” said Moore. “We knew that we would be a quick team, and we knew that we would get a lot of offensive opportunities — and it was great to see us bury them.”

The Cardinals opened the scoring at 10:44 of the opening period on a goal by Kevin Wentland (Columbia Heights, Minn.) and in the next five minutes, Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska) and Scott Deur (Big Rapids, Mich.) would also beat Bethel goalie Dan Harper to give the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage after the opening 20 minutes.

The intermission certainly didn't cool off the Cardinals, as Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) sandwiched a pair of goals around a Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) tally to give SMU a commanding 6-0 cushion heading into the third and final period.

The Cardinals' goal parade continued in the third period, as Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.) scored to push the SMU lead to 7-0. The Royals thwarted Andy Scheib's (Sun Prairie, Wis.) shutout bid when Brock Raffaele beat the Cardinal goalie at 5:49 and Bethel would tack on one more before the period ended to make the final 7-2.

Scheib finished with 25 saves in recording the win, while Bethel goalie Dan Harper recorded 29 saves.

“This was a great win — and everyone should feel really good about the way we performed,” said Moore, whose team is right back in action on Sunday, squaring off aginast Saint John's in a 1 p.m. MIAC Men's Hockey Showcase game at Fogerty Arena. “But right now we have to put this game behind us and focus on Saint John's.

“There's no way we can be satisfied after just one win.”