BLAINE, Minn. — There were no tricks for the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team Friday evening, as the Cardinals kicked off their 2014-15 season on Halloween with a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hockey Showcase showdown against Augsburg.
 
Unfortunately for coach Bill Moore, there were no treats, either.
 
Augsburg scored a pair of first-period goals and the Cardinals could not get their offense on track, as the Auggies dealt Saint Mary's a season-opening 2-0 nonconference setback at Ramsey County Arena in the Schwan's Super Rink.
 
The Auggies got on the board midway through the first period, as Mack Ohnsted netted the first goal of the season, beating Saint Mary's goalie Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) from point-blank range.
 
Heinle kept it a one-goal game with a pair of highlight-reel saves, but the Auggies solved the Cardinal sophomore a second time in the game's opening 20 minutes, as Evan Hesse took a back-door feed from Zach Dick and tapped it home with four seconds left on the clock.
 
As busy as Heinle was in the opening period, he was even busier in the second, stopping all 12 Auggie shots in the middle period to keep the Cardinals within two, 2-0, heading into the game's final 20 minutes.
 
The Cardinals put together their best period of the day in the third, peppering Augsburg goalie Fredrik Melander with nine shots, but could not get one past the Auggie sophomore.
 
Heinle stopped all five Auggie shots in the third period, finishing with 26 saves in his first start of the season. Melander, meanwhile, kicked out all 20 Saint Mary's shots in earning the shutout.
 
The Cardinals (0-1-0 overall) are back in action on Sunday, squaring off against Concordia in a 2:30 p.m. contest as part of the three-day MIAC Hockey Showcase.