ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team looks to keep its MIAC playoff hopes alive on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Gustavus for a 7:05 contest.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-6-1 MIAC | 8-13-1 Overall)
vs. Gustavus Gusties (6-5-2 MIAC | 12-7-3 Overall)

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Last Night:
Gustavus scored the game's first three goals and never let the Cardinals back into the game, handing SMU a 4-1 conference setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

SMU vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
February 10, 2012: Another day, another game decided by one goal or less. And so it went for SMU against Gustavus, as the Cardinals played their 14th game this season decided by a goal or less. Thanks to some late-game heroics by Nick Gorup (Omaha, Neb.), there was a better ending for the Cardinals, as SMU rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits — and got a goal from Gorup with 15 seconds remaining in regulation — to lift SMU to a 4-4 MIAC tie with the Gusties at Don Roberts Ice Arena.
February 11, 2012: With five minutes remaining in the third period, it appeared like SMU and Gustavus were headed for their second overtime game in as many days. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to OT — Gustavus netted a pair of power-play tallies and an empty net goal en route to a 4-1 conference victory over SMU at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals close out the regular season on their home ice next weekend, hosting Concordia for a pair of MIAC games at the SMU Ice Arena. SMU and CC square off  at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, with the rematch slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday. … Gustavus, meanwhile, battles St. Olaf in its regular season-finale next weekend. The Gusties host the Oles on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn., before heading to the Northfield (Minn.) Ice Arena for the rematch at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

MIAC Playoff Chase:
With three games remaining in the regular season, the race for all five conference tournament berths is still up for grabs — with eight of the nine conference teams still in the chase. St. Olaf — having gotten swept by Saint John's in their two MIAC games this weekend —  leads the league with 18 points (9-5-0), one point in front of Saint John's (7-4-3) and idle St. Thomas (8-5-1). Gustavus (6-5-2) and Concordia (7-6-0) — both winners Friday — are tied for fourth with 14 points, one point in front of Saint Mary's (6-6-1) and two points better than Augsburg (5-6-2) and Bethel (6-7-0).

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
With their win over SJU last Saturday, SMU collected its eighth win of the season, the most since the Cardinals went 9-14-2 during the 2007-08 season. … Their 2-1 win over SJU was also the Cardinals' second overtime contest in their last six games — SMU battled St. Thomas to a 0-0 OT tie on Jan. 18. … The overtime victory over the Johnnies was SMU's first since Nov. 22, 2011, when the Cardinals knocked off then-11th ranked MSOE 2-1. … SMU's OT win over SJU also snapped a four-game winless streak in overtime games (0-1-3). … Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) scored his fifth goal of the season to account for SMU's lone goal against Gustavus Friday night. … Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) — who scored game-winner in SMU's OT win over Saint John's last Saturday — assisted on Marx goal Friday. … Thompson's goal vs. SJU last Saturday was also his second game-winner of the season. SMU's other six game-winning goals have come from six different players. … Thompson's OT tally vs. the Johnnies was SMU's seventh shorthanded goal of the season, tying the school record set during the 1991-92 season. … Mike Hill (Fort Worth, Texas) enters Saturday's rematch with Gustavus as the team-leader in goals (11), assists (10) and points (21). …  The Cardinals have posted 10 multiple-goal games this season. Hill has four, Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.) has two, and Thompson, Nick Gorup (Omaha, Neb.), Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska) and Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) have each recorded one. … SMU boasts seven players with 10 or more points through 21 games — Hill (21), Thompson (18), Balko (14), Marx (14), Wentland (13), McGlasson (11), and Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn. / 10). … SMU's 57 goals have come from 16 different players, while 21 Cardinals have recorded at least one point. … Jason Horstman (Faribault, Minn.), who stopped 32 shots in recording his first win in goal this season against Saint John's last season, kicked out 35 GAC shots Frifday — including 18 in the second period. … SMU has used three different goalies this season. Andy Scheib (Sun Prairie, Wis.) enters this weekend's games vs. Gustavus owning a team-best 3.75 goals-against-average and an .874 save percentage. Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) has compiled a 3.87 GAA and an .874 save percentage, while Horstman has posted a 4.45 GAA and an .876 save percentage. … Scheib stopped all 38 shots he faced vs. St. Thomas on Jan. 18 en route to his first collegiate shutout. … Scheib's 38 saves were three shy of his career high. … SMU's 0-0 tie vs. the Tommies on Jan. 18 marked the first time in program history the Cardinals played to a scoreless tie. … SMU has outscored its opponents 47-17 in its eight victories this season. …  The Cardinals scored a season-high nine goals in their 9-2 rout of Hamline on Nov. 9. … SMU's nine goals against the Pipers are the most since SMU erupted for 14 goals in a 14-3 win over Concordia during the 2006-07 season. … The Cardinals have scored first in seven of their 22 games — including five of their eight wins. … The Cardinals are 3-11-0 when their opponent scores first. … With their 0-0 tie against St. Thomas on Jan. 18, the Cardinals moved to 4-2-1 on their home ice.

Scouting the Gustavus Gusties:
2012-13 Roster | 2012-13 Statistics | 2012-13 Schedule
The Gusties enter Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's as one of the hottest teams in the MIAC. GAC has won three straight, four of its last five — and are 9-2-2 in its last 12. … After dropping their first four MIAC games, the Gusties are 6-1-2 in their last eight — the lone blemish a 3-1 loss at Concordia on Jan. 26. … GAC's four goals vs. Saint Mary's Friday came from four different players — Brenden Baker, Ryan Johnson, Jack Walsh and Corey Leivermann. … Friday's win over Saint Mary's marked the second straight game in which GAC has scored four goals — with all four coming from different players. … Gustavus' seven goals against Hamline in last Friday's 7-4 win equaled a season high. GAC also scored seven times in a 7-4 win over Concordia on Jan. 25. … The Gusties' 4-2 win over Hamline last Saturday marked the 15th time in 22 contests that the game was decided by two goals or less. … Adam Smyth enters Saturday's rematch with Saint Mary's leading the team in goals with 10. … Smyth also leads the team in points with 18, while Andy Pearson is the team-leader in assists with 10, two more than Smyth and Ryan Johnson. … Over the past five games, Smyth has recorded nine points — five goals and four assists. … The Gusties boast six players with 10 or more points — Smyth (18), Johnson (16), Pearson (13), Walsh (12), Baker (11) and Tyler Lapic (11). … Smyth has recorded two hat tricks this season — vs. Lawrence on Dec. 7 and at Concordia on Jan. 25. … Tyler Venne, who made 47 saves in the Gusties' two games against Hamline last weekend, finished with 16 saves against Saint Mary's Friday. … Venne has compiled a 2.62 goals-against-average and a .901 save percentage. … Gustavus has outscored its opponents 52-52 — including 20-10 in the first period. … The Gusties are 10-2-1 when scoring first, going 2-5-2 when their opponent nets the game's first goal. … The Gusties have played four overtime games this season — going 1-0-3. GAC beat Augsburg 3-2, while tying Amherst (2-2), and Saint John's twice (3-3, 1-1).