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WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team did something no other team has been able to do against fifth-ranked UW-Stevens Point — score first.
In fact, the Cardinals not only scored the game's first goal, but they also netted its third, giving SMU a 2-1 advantage early in the second period — marking the first and only two times this season the Pointers had to play from behind.
That 2-1 lead, however, quickly evaporated, as the Pointers rattled off four unanswered goals in handing SMU a 6-4 nonconference setback at the SMU Ice Arena.
"I give our guys a lot of credit ¬— Stevens Point is a very good team and we hung with them," said SMU coach
Bill Moore. "Our problem tonight was we gave them too many opportunities, and they cashed in on them."
The Cardinals got on the board first, as
Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska) scored his first of the season 3:51 into the opening period.
SMU would maintain that lead until Garrett Ladd found the back of the net five minutes into the second period.
Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) put the Cardinals back in front, 2-1, with his second of the season — on the power play — at 8:26.
From there, however, the Pointers turned up the heat, rattling off four straight goals — two in the second and two in the first four minutes of the third to take a 5-2 advantage.
Marx netted his second of the game with two minutes remaining in regulation to pull SMU back to within two, 5-3, but Kyle Brodie tallied an empty-net goal to push the Stevens Point lead back to three, while
Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) scored his first as a Cardinal with six second remaining to round out the scoring.
Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) stopped a career best 46 Pointer shots — including 22 in the second period and 16 more in the third — while Brandon Jaeger picked up his fifth win of the season in goal for UW-Stevens Point, stopping 15 of SMU's 19 shots.
The Cardinals (2-4-0 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday, hosting Saint John's in a 7:30 p.m. game at the SMU Ice Arena.
