WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team plays its second straight nonconference game on Saturday, as the Cardinals host high-scoring UW-Stevens Point in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at the SMU Ice Arena.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-3-0 Overall) vs. #5 UW-Stevens Point Pointers (5-0-0 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview | GameDay Program

Last Night:
The Cardinals scored a pair of goals late in the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie and lifting SMU to a 3-1 nonconference win over UW-Superior at the SMU Ice Arena. … UW-Stevens Point extended its perfect start to the season to five straight wins Friday, as the Pointers shut out St. Thomas 3-0 at the UST Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn.

SMU vs. UW-Stevens Point — Their Last Meeting:
January 5, 2013: As if playing one of the top teams in the NCHA was not tough enough, SMU squared off against red-hot UW-Stevens Point a bit shorthanded. In fact, shorthanded may be putting it mildly, as the Cardinals' lineup against the Pointers was minus six regulars. And UW-Stevens Point took advantage, scoring two goals in the first and never looking back in handing SMU a 4-0 setback in the teams' final nonconference game of the season in Stevens Point, Wis. | Recap

Up Next:
The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, as SMU hosts Saint John's for a 7 p.m. conference showdown on Friday, then entertains the Johnnies in a 2 p.m. rematch the following day. … UW-Stevens Point heads to Milwaukee, Wis., for a 7 p.m. game against MSOE on Friday, before returning home to host Marian in a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Saturday's game against UW-Stevens Point is the second of six straight home games for the Cardinals, who do not play on the road again until Dec. 10, when they travel to Appleton, Wis., for a nonconference game against Lawrence. … Brad Fusaro (Kenai, Alaska), Mike Wolter (Antigo, Wis.) and Mike Mezzano (Woodbury, Minn.) scored for the Cardinals against UW-Superior Friday. … Wolter has now scored twice in SMU's last three games. … Wolter, Mezzano and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) have all scored their first collegiate goals this season. … Wolter shares the team lead in goals (2) with Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.), while Thompson and Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.) — who had one of SMU's three assists Friday — have each posted a team-best two assists. … Thompson — who finished second on the team in all three offensive categories a year ago with 10 goals, 11 assists and 21 points — also leads the team with four points. … Thompson had a goal and an assist in the Cardinals' season-opener against Augsburg, marking the second straight season the SMU forward has recorded a multiple-point game in the team's season-opener. Thompson notched his first collegiate three-point game (1 goal, 2 assists) in SMU's 7-2 win over Bethel to open last year's season. … Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) — who stopped a career-high 36 shots in SMU's 3-2 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 3 — finished with 20 saves against UW-Superior Friday. … With his effort Friday, Gaffy dropped his goals-against-average to 2.26, while raising his save percentage to .924. … Fellow goalie Mitch Fernsler (York, Pa.) recorded 35 saves in his first collegiate start against Augsburg in the teams' season-opener on Nov. 2 … As a team, the Cardinals posted a season-high 41 shots on goal against the Yellowjackets Friday. … SMU has scored four goals in the second period and five in the third period this season. The Cardinals are still searching for their first, first-period goal of the year. … SMU, which went 5-3-0 when scoring first and 3-13-0 when they opponent scored first a year ago, has scored the game's first goal in three of its five games this season — going 2-1-0. … The winning team in each of SMU's last four games has scored three goals — 3-2 and 3-1 wins over St. Olaf and UW-Superior, sandwiched around 3-1 and 3-0 losses to St. Thomas. … With their 6-2 loss to Augsburg and 3-2 win over St. Olaf, the Cardinals have now gone 1-1 in each of the last two MIAC Hockey Showcases.

Scouting The UW-Stevens Point Pointers:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the fourth straight game against MIAC opponents for the Pointers, who have already beaten Gustavus (8-4), St. Olaf (8-1) and St. Thomas (3-0). … The Pointers — ranked No. 5 in the latest USCHO.com Poll — head into Saturday's contest against the Cardinals having scored 36 goals in their first five games. … UW-SP netted a season-high 11 goals against Finlandia on Nov. 2, before adding back-to-back eight-goal performances against Gustavus and St. Olaf. … The UW–Stevens Point offense has been rolling to start the season, led by Garrett Ladd — who leads the nation with 11 points, including five goals (t-2nd) and six assists (t-1st). … Teammates Kyle Brodie and Josh Daley both entered the weekend tied for fifth in the country with seven points through five games. … Brandon Jaeger has started four of the team's five games in goal, compiling a 1.50 goals-against-average and a .926 save percentage. … Jaeger made 30 saves in the Pointers' 3-0 win over previously unbeaten St. Thomas Friday night. … Spencer Viele started UW-SP's other game, stopping all nine shots he faced in an 11-0 win over Finlandia on Nov. 2. … Thirteen of the Pointers' first 33 goals this season came on special teams — UW-SP has netted seven power play goals and six shorthanded tallies. … Four of the six goals allowed by the Pointers this season have come in the third period. UW-SP has outscored its opponents 23-2 in the first and second periods combined.