Box Score  | GameDay Preview

ASCHWAUBENON, Wis. — For the second year in a row, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team found itself squaring off against the defending national champions when the Cardinals took the ice against St. Norbert.

Unfortunately for SMU coach Bill Moore, there would be no storybook ending this time around.

The Cardinals stunned the defending national champion Green Knights during SNC's run to its second straight national crown a year ago, hanging on for a 2-1 nonconference victory at the SMU Ice Arena.

Friday evening, the two teams were at it again — the result, however, was far different.

St. Norbert, one of just three teams in NCAA Division III history to win back-to-back national titles, erupted for seven second-period goals en route to a 12-2 nonconference win over the Cardinals at the Cornerstone Community Center.

“It was one of those nights,” said Moore. “(St. Norbert) scored the only goal of the first period, we tie it up early in the second, and the roof caves in.

“We did not play well in our d-zone tonight, and until the guys buy into what we are trying to do defensively, we are going to struggle.”

Cullen Bradshaw netted the only goal of the first period to give St. Norbert a 1-0 advantage, but SMU answered 11 seconds into the second period, as Mike Hill (Fort Worth, Texas) scored his seventh goal of the season to pull the Cardinals even, 1-1.

From there, however, it was all St. Norbert, as the Green Knights would score seven times over the next 18 minutes — including three power play goals and two shorthanded tallies — to take a commanding 8-1 lead into the game's final 20 minutes.

Hill would add his second goal of the game early in the third, but again the Green Knights would answer in a big way, netting four goals in a seven-minute span to seal the win.

The Cardinals (5-7-0 overall) close out the nonconference portion of their schedule on Saturday, traveling to Stevens Point, Wis., for a 7 p.m. contest against UW-Stevens Point.