WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team returns to the SMU Ice Arena on Saturday, as the Cardinals once again host defending regular-season co-champion Saint John's in the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Puck drops at 2 p.m.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-2-0 MIAC | 2-4-0 Overall) vs. Saint John's Johnnies (1-1-0 MIAC | 3-3-0 Overall)

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Last Night:
Saint Mary's rallied from a 3-0 first-period deficit, tying the game 3-3 two minutes into the third stanza, only to have SJU net the game-winning tally three minutes later, as the Johnnies handed the Cardinals a 4-3 conference setback at the SMU Ice Arena | Recap

SMU vs. Saint John's — A Year Ago:
October 28, 2012: SMU unveiled its high-octane offense in a 7-2 rout of Bethel in their season-opening game at the MIAC Men's Hockey Showcase. That same high-octane offense was on display at Fogerty Arena against Saint John's a day later. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was the Johnnies' turn this time around, as SJU erupted for five goals in the second period en route to an 8-1 victory over SMU.
February 1, 2013: The Cardinals, battling for one of those five MIAC post-season invitations, came up empty for the second game in a row, as Saint John's erupted for four second-period goals en route to a 6-0 conference win at the National Hockey Center.
February 2, 2013: SMU, mired in a four-game losing streak that included a span of nine straight scoreless periods, scored a pair of unanswered goals — including Bobby Thompson's (Centerville, Minn.) game-winner with 1:30 remaining in overtime — to lift SMU to the 2-1 victory.

Up Next:
The Cardinals step out of conference play next weekend, as SMU hosts Lake Forest in a pair of nonconference games at the SMU Ice Arena. The Cardinals and Foresters will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday, and complete the two-game series with a 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday. … Saint John's is off until Dec. 6-7, when the Johnnies and Augsburg meet for a pair of MIAC contests. SJU will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday, Dec. 6, then host the Auggies in the rematch on Sat., Dec. 7 in St. Cloud, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Saturday's game against Saint John's is the fourth 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. … Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.), Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) accounted for SMU's three goals against the Johnnies Friday night. … Jonathon Elliott (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) picked up his first collegiate multiple-point game, collecting assists on two of SMU's three goals. … Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) scored two of SMU's four goals against UW-Stevens Point last Saturday. It was the third collegiate two-goal game for the Cardinal junior. … Gruse, Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.), Mike Wolter (Antigo, Wis.) and Mike Mezzano (Woodbury, Minn.) have all scored their first collegiate goals this season. … With his goal and assist vs. SJU Friday, Thompson moved into a tie for the team lead in all three offensive categories — goals (3), assists (3) and points (6) — with Marx. … Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) — who stopped a career-high 46 shots against UW-Stevens Point last Saturday — finished with 20 saves against the Johnnies Friday. … Gaffy's 46 saves against UW-Stevens Point last Saturday were the most saves by a Cardinal goalie since Jason Horstman stopped 52 on Feb. 19, 2011. … Gaffy heads into Saturday's rematch against Saint John's with a 3.05 goals-against-average and a .907 save percentage. … 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 UW-Superior on Nov. 16. … Six of SMU's 16 goals this season have come on the power play. … The Cardinals scored their first, first-period goal of the season against UW-Stevens Point last Saturday. … SMU has scored seven goals in the second period and eight in the third period this season. … On the flip side, SMU has surrendered 19 goals after the game's opening 20 minutes — nine in the second period and 10 in the third. … The Cardinals' four goals against UW-Stevens Point were the most in a loss since scoring four in a 5-4 overtime setback against Augsburg on Jan. 28, 2012. … SMU, which went 5-3-0 when scoring first a year ago, has scored the game's first goal in four of its seven games this season — going 2-2-0. … 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 Saint John's Johnnies:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
The Johnnies play eight of their first nine games on the road. … With their 4-3 win over Saint Mary's Friday, the Johnnies have now won two straight. … Last Saturday's 7-4 victory over St. Olaf snapped the Johnnies' two–game losing streak. … Two of Saint John's three losses have been 2-0 shutouts. … … SJU's 2-0 loss to St. Olaf last Saturday was just the second shutout loss in 83 MIAC games under head coach Doug Schueller … SJU has been outscored 7-1 in its three losses, while holding a 18-10 advantage in its four wins. … Nick Senta, Justin Hochsprung, Tyson Fulton and Phil Johnson accounted for the Johnnies' four goals vs. Saint Mary's Friday. … John Haeg assisted on two of SJU's four goals Friday. … Kevin Becker heads into Saturday's rematch against Saint Mary's as the team leader in points with six. … Fulton leads the Johnnies in goals (3), while Becker and Hochsprung each have a team-leading four assists. … SJU's 19 goals have come from 13 different players, while 18 Johnnies' have already recorded at least one point. … Saxton Soley — the reigning MIAC Player of the Year — made 25 saves Friday, lowing his goals-against-average to 2.21, while improving his save percentage to .904. … Fellow goalie Mitch Thompson stopped 25 St. Olaf shots last Saturday in recording his first collegiate win, and heads into the weekend with a 2.51 GAA and a .919 save percentage in two starts. … After going 0-for-20 on the power play through the season's first five games, the Johnnies scored three power-play goals vs. St. Olaf last Saturday and added another vs. SMU on Friday. … Saint John's has scored eight of its 19 goals — including three of four Friday night — in the first period. On the flip side, SJU's opponents have scored seven goals in the second period and six in the third periods, while netting four in the first. … SJU is 3-0-0 when scoring first, and 1-3-0 when its opponent scores first.