WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team returns to the SMU Ice Arena on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Gustavus in the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-5-0 MIAC | 6-9-1 Overall) vs. Gustavus Gusties (7-1-1 MIAC | 10-4-3 Overall)

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Last Night:
Gustavus scored the game's first four goals — including three in the first period — as the Gusties handed SMU a 4-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn.

SMU vs. Gustavus — A Year Ago:
February 8, 2013: The Cardinals gave up a goal when a puck was rung around the boards, hit a seam by where the Zamboni doors open and bounced right out in front of the net, where Gustavus' Ryan Johnson scored into the empty net. And that was just the beginning. SMU also lost two of its top six defensemen to season-ending injuries — and to top it off, the Cardinals came out on the short end of a 4-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference decision to Gustavus at the SMU Ice Arena.
February 9, 2013: The Cardinals headed into their MIAC rematch with Gustavus battling with three other teams for the fifth and final conference playoff spot. A win against the Gusties would propel SMU into that No. 5 slot, one point ahead of Gustavus with two games to play. A loss against the Gusties, and the Cardinals would find their backs against the wall, needing a sweep against Concordia in the final weekend — and maybe a little help — to land that elusive playoff berth. And, unfortunately, thanks to a 5-2 loss to the Gusties, the Cardinals are left hoping help is on the way.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in conference action next weekend, as SMU heads to Northfield, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with St. Olaf, before returning to the SMU Ice Arena for the 7 p.m. rematch with the Oles a day later. … Gustavus also returns to conference play next weekend, as the Gusties square off against Saint John's — Friday at 8:05 p.m. at the Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn., and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Friday's loss to Gustavus marked the second straight game in which SMU surrendered three first-period goals. … Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season against Gustavus Friday. … Marx's seven goals are a career high. … Marx — who also owns a team-high 11 points — has now scored in each of SMU's last two Friday games. … Jonathon Elliott (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) was held without a point vs. Gustavus Friday, marking the first time in SMU's last six Friday games the sophomore was held without a point. Elliott had three goals and three assists during his five-game Friday point streak. … Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) owns a team-best six assists and is second to Marx for the team's points lead with 10. … Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) accounted for all three of the Cardinals' goals against Bethel on Jan. 18 en route to his first collegiate hat trick. … Albergo's hat trick marked the first time since Mike Glaesmer scored four goals at Hamline on Dec 6, 2008 that SMU has boasted a player with three or more goals in a game. … The Cardinals boast five players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season — Elliott, Albergo, Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.), Mike Mezzano (Woodbury, Minn.) and Mike Wolter (Antigo, Wis.). … Eleven of SMU's 35 goals this season have come on the power-play. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.), who stopped a career-high 31 shots in SMU's 2-2 tie vs. MSOE on Jan. 11, enters Saturday's rematch with Gustavus leading the team with a 2.85 GAA and .904 save percentage. … Heinle has stopped 30 or more shots twice in his six appearances this season. … Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) — who stopped a career-high 46 shots against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 16 — owns a 3.00 GAA and a .903 save percentage. … Gaffy leads the team with 262 saves. … Gaffy's 46 saves against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 16 were the most saves by a Cardinal goalie since Jason Horstman stopped 52 on Feb. 19, 2011. … As a team, the Cardinals posted a season-high 41 shots on goal against UW-Superior on Nov. 16. … The Cardinals' 4-3 loss to Bethel on Jan. 18 marked the ninth time in 14 contests that the game has been decided by two goals or less. … SMU's 2-2 tie vs. MSOE on Jan. 11 was the Cardinals' first overtime game of the season. … The Cardinals' four goals in a 6-4 loss against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 16 were the most in a loss since scoring four in a 5-4 overtime setback against Augsburg on Jan. 28, 2012. … Three of SMU's five wins this season have been by one goal — a 3-2 win over Saint John's and back-to-back 2-1 victories over Lake Forest. … SMU is 3-2-1 when scoring first and 3-7-0 when its opponent nets the game's first goal. 

Scouting The Gustavus:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Gustavus heads into Saturday's rematch with Saint Mary's having won three straight and is 8-1-3 in its last 10. … After falling to Concordia 3-1 on Nov. 15, the Gusties have gone 7-0-1 in their last seven MIAC games. … Thirteen of the Gusties' 16 games have been decided by two goals or less. … GAC's 2-0 loss to No. 1-ranked Adrian on Jan. 11 snapped the Gusties' season-high seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2). … The Gusties have played three overtime games this season, with all three ending in ties — 6-6 vs. Lawrence on Nov. 29, 2-2 vs. St. Olaf on Dec. 7 and 2-2 vs. Lake Forest on Jan. 10. … Corey Leivermann had one of GAC's four goals against Saint Mary's and has now scored in three straight games. … Adam Smyth, Joncario Westerlund and Nate Paulsen accounted for GAC's other three goals Friday. … With his goal vs. Saint Mary's, Leivermann pushed his team-leading total to 11, two more than Smyth. … Leivermann also leads the team in points with 19 and assists with eight. … GAC boasts four players with 10 or more points — Leivermann (19), Smyth (14), Tyler Lapic (11) and Gustav Bengtson (10). … GAC's 53 goals this season have come from 18 different players. … John McLean, who made 19 saves vs. Saint Mary's Friday, has appeared in 16 of the team's 17 games in goal, compiling a 2.21 goals-against-average and a .912 save percentage. … McLean has posted 354 saves, including a season-high 31 against Lawrence on Nov. 29. … Gustavus holds a 53-41 edge in goals, and has outscored its opponents 18-9 in the first period and 21-16 in the third. … GAC is 4-2-2 on its home ice and 6-2-1 away from Don Roberts Ice Arena. … Gustavus is unbeaten (10-0-3) when scoring the game's first goal, but the Gusties have yet to win when their opponent scores first (0-4-0).