NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team is back in conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals head to the Northfield Ice Arena for a 7:30 p.m. showdown against St. Olaf.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-6-0 MIAC | 6-10-1 Overall) at St. Olaf Oles (5-3-2 MIAC | 7-9-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals suffered a pair of conference setbacks to league-leading Gustavus last weekend, as the Gusties dropped SMU 4-1 last Friday, then added a 5-1 win a day later. … St. Olaf picked up a pair of MIAC victories last weekend, sweeping Bethel 1-0 and 4-3.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — Earlier This Year:
November 3, 2013: The Cardinals scored a pair of third-period power-play goals, while killing off six of seven St. Olaf man advantages, as SMU picked up its first win of the season, a 3-2 victory over the Oles during the MIAC Hockey Showcase at Fogerty Arena.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — A Year Ago:
November 30, 2013: Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) and Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska) each scored two goals, as the Cardinals rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat St. Olaf 7-5 at the SMU Ice Arena.
December 1, 2013: St. Olaf — which surrendered seven goals to the high-flying Cardinals in a 7-5 Saint Mary's victory in the first game of their two-game MIAC series — grounded SMU in the rematch en route to a 5-1 Ole victory at the Northfield Ice Arena in Northfield, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals and Oles return to the SMU Ice Arena on Saturday for the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) and Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.) accounted for SMU's two goals against Gustavus last weekend. … Marx's goal last Friday was his team-leading seventh of the season. … 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 last 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 in recording 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 37 goals this season have come on the power-play. … Mitch Fernsler (Ballwin, Mo.), making his second start of the season, finished with 20 saves vs. Gustavus last Saturday. … Fernsler is one of three goalies the Cardinals have used this season. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.), who stopped a career-high 31 shots in SMU's 2-2 tie vs. MSOE on Jan. 11, enters this weekend's games against St. Olaf 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, while Fernsler has a 4.41 GAA and .857 save percentage. … Gaffy leads the team with 261 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 17 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 St. Olaf Oles:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
With their 1-0, 4-3 victories over Bethel last weekend, St. Olaf enters its two-game conference series against Saint Mary's riding a four-game winning streak. … The back-to-back wins over Bethel also marked the second straight conference sweep for the Oles, who swept Hamline a week earlier. … St. Olaf has now shut out its opponent on consecutive Fridays — beating Hamline 5-0 and Bethel 1-0. … After starting the season 1-6-1, St. Olaf has gone 6-3-2 in its last 11 contests. … The Oles have played three overtime games, with all three resulting in ties. … St. Olaf is winless (0-2) in conference shootouts. … Steven Sherman netted the game's only goal in St. Olaf's 1-0 win over Bethel last Friday. Dan Cecka had two goals, while Marc Richards and Dylan Porter each had one in the Oles' 4-3 come-from-behind win a day later. … With his two goals against Bethel last Saturday, Cecka pushed his team-leading total to 12. Cecka also leads the team with 18 points. … Sherman and Jonas Fredriksson are the team's assist leaders with seven, one more than Cecka and David Rath. … Steve Papciak has appeared in 15 of the team's 19 games in goal, compiling a 2.37 goals-against-average and .913 save percentage. … Papciak also owns three shutouts. … The Oles have been outscored 57-49 — including 18-11 in the first period. … St. Olaf is 4-2-1 when scoring first, but just 3-7-2 when its opponent scores the game's first goal. … St. Olaf is 3-2-2 on its home ice, while going 4-7-1 away from the Northfield Ice Arena.