STEVENS POINT, Wis. — If the status quo continues, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey coach Bill Moore will be completely grey by Christmas.
 
For the third straight game, the Cardinals matched their nationally ranked opponent blow-for-blow.
 
And for the third straight contest, the game was decided by no more than one goal.
 
Unfortunately for Moore and the Cardinals—despite gallant efforts—they are winless in those three games.
 
UW-Stevens Point's Kyle Sharkey scored 46 seconds into overtime, giving the sixth-ranked Pointers a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals Saturday at K.B. Willett Arena.
 
"We played really, really well tonight," said Moore, whose team was coming off a 5-2 nonconference win over UW-Superior on Friday. "We came out tonight and pressured everything—we gave the sixth-ranked team in the country everything they could handle.
 
"Stevens Point is a very good hockey team—they beat St. Thomas 3-1 on Friday night—and I thought we proved we were every bit as talented as they were," Moore added. "You've got to give (our goalie) Phil (Heinle) a ton of credit, he was awesome again tonight and kept us in the game.
 
"It sure would have been nice to come away with a win tonight, but I'm so happy with the way the guys competed from start to finish."
 
Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) got the Cardinals on the board first, scoring his fourth goal of the season, stealing the puck at the Saint Mary's blue line, streaking in alone on UW-Stevens Point goalie Brandon Jaeger and beating the Pointer senior for a 1-0 Cardinal lead 4:17 into the opening period.
 
UW-Stevens Point—which opened its nonconference weekend with a 3-1 victory over St. Thomas on Friday—got the equalizer from Alex Kromm midway through the first period, and took a 2-1 lead on Jacob Barber's tally with 39 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
 
After a scoreless second period, in which Cardinal goalie Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) stopped all 14 Pointer shots, Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) pulled the Cardinals even, uncorking a rocket from the point that eluded Jaeger and sent the game into overtime.
 
And in the OT, it was Sharkey who dashed the Cardinals' upset bid, netting his first goal of the season to give the Pointers their fourth win in five games this season.
 
Heinle, who made a season-high 39 saves in Friday's 5-2 win over UW-Superior, kicked out 33 UW-Stevens Point shots, while Jaeger recorded 19 saves in goal for the Pointers.
 
The Cardinals (2-3-1 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, traveling to St. Cloud, Minn., for a pair of games against unbeaten and nationally ranked Saint John's. The two teams will square off for a 7 p.m. contest on Friday, with the rematch taking place at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be played at the Municipal Athletic Complex.