ST. CLOUD, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team wraps up its two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against Saint John's on Saturday, squaring off against the Johnnies in a 4 p.m. contest at the Municipal Athletic Complex.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1-2 MIAC | 2-3-2 Overall) at #15 Saint John's Johnnies (2-0-1 MIAC | 4-0-3 Overall)
 
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Last Night:
• After battling to a 2-2 tie through 60 minutes of regulation and a five-minute overtime period, Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) each scored shootout goals as the Cardinals beat the Johnnies 2-1 in the shootout Friday evening at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint John's—A Year Ago:
• November 22, 2013: Saint Mary's coach Bill Moore knew that if his Cardinals expected to hang with defending regular-season co-champion Saint John's, a quick start was key. And a quick start is what the Cardinals coach got. Unfortunately, it was the Johnnies who got off to the quick start, as SJU erupted for three first-period goals. Down, but far from out, the Cardinals battled back — finally digging out of the three-goal hole with a goal two minutes into the third period, only to have SJU answer three minutes later to lift the Johnnies to the 4-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• November 23, 2013: They call them "opportunities" for a reason. And after squandering their first nine, Saint Mary's decided to cash in on a few opportunities in the third period against Saint John's. The Cardinals, who went 0-for-9 in their first nine power play chances, took advantage of a five-minute PP, scoring two goals 23 seconds apart midway through the second period, erasing a 2-1 SJU lead and giving Saint Mary's a hard-earned, 3-2 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until Dec. 5-6, when they close out the first semester with a pair of nonconference games at Aurora. Saint Mary's and Aurora will square off in a 7 p.m. contest on Friday, Dec. 6, before meeting again at 2 p.m. the following day. Both games will be played at the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Ill.
• Saint John's: The Johnnies return to the ice on Tuesday, when they travel to Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth, Minn., for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against St. Scholastica.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Saturday's game against the Johnnies is the fourth of seven straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not return home until Jan. 9-10, 2015, when they host St. Scholastica and Northland at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. … The Cardinals' games vs. the Johnnies mark the fourth and fifth time this season that Saint Mary's has faced a nationally ranked team. … Friday's shootout win over Saint John's marked the sixth time in seven contests that the game has been decided by two goals or less. The lone exception was a 5-2 win over UW-Superior on Nov. 14. … Two of the Cardinals' three conference games have gone to a shootout—with Saint Mary's winning both. Jonathon Elliott (Bloomfield Hills, Ill.) scored in Saint Mary's 1-0 shootout win over St. Thomas on Nov. 8, while Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) found the back of the net in Friday's 2-1 shootout win over Saint John's. … The Cardinals' 1-0 win in the shootout vs. St. Thomas on Nov. 8 was their first shootout in the two years since the MIAC added it to the end of tied games prior to the 2013-14 season. … The Cardinals have now played three overtime games, going to a shootout vs. both St. Thomas and Saint John's, while dropping a 3-2 OT decision to nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point. … Saint Mary's scored a season-high five goals in its 5-2 win over UW-Superior on Nov. 14—with the five goals coming from five different players. … Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.) and Mike Mezzano (Woodbury, Minn.) netted Saint Mary's two goals in regulation vs. Saint John's Friday. … The Cardinals boast four players who have netted their first collegiate goals this season—Walz, Jude Warner (Pickerington, Ohio), Taylor Portner (Andover, Minn.) and Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich. … Cesarz's goal with 1:06 remaining in the first period vs. the Cobbers was officially the Cardinals' first goal of the season. … Gruse, who has recorded at least one point in five of the Cardinals' last six games—including goals in four of those six contests—leads the team in goals (4) and points (7), while sharing the team lead in assists (3) with Albergo and Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa). … Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska) recorded the second two-goal game of his career with a pair of goals vs. Concordia on Nov. 2. The senior also netted two goals against St. Olaf on Nov. 30, 2012. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.)—who earned MIAC Athlete of the Week honors after making a combined 72 saves vs. UW-Superior and UW-Stevens Point last weekend—recorded a career-high 51 saves against the Johnnies Friday. … Heinle, who has started all seven games for the Cardinals, enters Saturday's rematch against Saint John's owning a 2.38 goals-against-average and a .930 save percentage. … In his final start a year ago against Hamline, Heinle notched his first collegiate assist—marking the first time since Dan Byron during the 2000-2001 season that a Saint Mary's goalie has recorded an assist. … The Cardinals recorded their first second-period goal of the season against UW-Superior on Nov. 14—Saint Mary's has scored seven goals in the first period and 10 in the third. … The Cardinals' 1-1 showing at the season-opening MIAC Hockey Showcase marked the third straight season Saint Mary's has gone 1-1 at the conference's season-opening event. Saint Mary's lost to Augsburg (6-2) and beat St. Olaf (3-2), while topping Bethel (7-2) and falling to Saint John's (8-1) in 2012-13. … Saint Mary's season-opening 2-0 loss to Augsburg on Oct. 31 actually snapped its three-game winning streak—the Cardinals had closed out the 2013-14 season with a 5-2 win over Concordia and 6-5 and 8-3 victories over Hamline.
 
Scouting The Saint John's Johnnies:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
Saint John's enters Saturday's rematch against Saint Mary's riding a season-opening seven-game unbeaten streak (4-0-3). … After opening the season with a 0-0 tie against St. Thomas at the MIAC Hockey Showcase, SJU has scored 21 goals in its last six games—including a season-high six in a 6-2 win over Hamline and back-to-back four-goal efforts last weekend in sweeping St. Olaf. … Huba Sekesi and Tyler Dunagan scored the Johnnies' two goals against Saint Mary's Friday evening. … Sekesi has now scored four goals in the Johnnies' last two games, having recorded his first collegiate hat trick—the team's first since Oct. 28, 2012—in SJU's 4-2 win over St. Olaf last Saturday. … Sekesi and Neal Smith share the team lead in goals with four each, while Wally Cossette, Dave Mylrea and Nick Vatnsdal are tied for the team lead in assists (4). … Dunagan is the team's points lead with six, one more than Sekesi and Smith. … Saint John's 21 goals have come from 11 different players, while 18 of the 20 Johnnies who have seen action—including goalie Saxton Soley—have recorded at least one point. … Soley—who picked up his first assist against St. Olaf last Saturday, has started six of the Johnnies' seven games in goal, compiling a 1.44 goals-against-average and a .942 save percentage. … Soley has recorded a team-high 178 saves, including a 32-save shutout effort against St. Thomas in the teams' season-opener. … Saint John's has scored eight of its 21 goals in the second period. SJU owns six first-period goals and seven third-period tallies. … Saint John's opponents have scored seven of their 11 goals in the game's final 20 minutes. … SJU has played three overtime games this season, with all three ending in ties—0-0 vs. Saint John's, 3-3 against UW-Eau Claire and 2-2 vs. Saint Mary's.