MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to St. Thomas Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown with 12th-ranked St. Thomas.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-0 MIAC | 1-1-0 Overall) at St. Thomas Tommies (0-0-0 MIAC | 0-1-1 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals opened play last weekend at the MIAC Hockey Showcase, falling to Augsburg 2-0 in their season-opener last Friday, before rallying to beat Concordia 4-2 in their second game on Sunday | Augsburg Recap * Concordia Recap
• St. Thomas: The Tommies are still looking for their first win, after tying Saint John's 0-0 in their first game of the MIAC Hockey Showcase last Friday and falling to Hamline 2-1 on Sunday | Saint John's Recap * Hamline Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• November 8, 2013: For the second straight meeting at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena, the Cardinals and Tommies found themselves embroiled in yet another defensive battle, with the Cardinals clinging to a 1-0 lead through the game's first two periods. Unfortunately for Moore and his Cardinals, the third period wasn't quite so defensive, as UST erupted for three third-period goals to hand Saint Mary's a 3-1 setback in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener | Recap
• November 9, 2013: St. Thomas scored a pair of first-period goals and never looked back, as the Tommies completed the two-game conference sweep of Saint Mary's with a 3-0 victory at the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn. | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  The Cardinals and Tommies complete their two-game MIAC series on Sunday, as Saint Mary's hosts St. Thomas in a 5 p.m. showdown on Sunday.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
The Cardinals' 1-1 showing at the MIAC Hockey Showcase last weekend 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 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. … Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska) had a hand in three of the Cardinals' four goals vs. Concordia last Sunday. The senior scored twice, and assisted on another. … The two third-period goals against Concordia marked the second time in his collegiate career that McGlasson has scored twice in a game. The senior also netted two goals against St. Olaf on Nov. 30, 2012. … Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) and Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) netted Saint Mary's other two goals vs. Concordia last Sunday.  … Cesarz's goal with 1:06 remaining in the first period vs. the Cobbers was officially the Cardinals' first goal of the season—and his first collegiate goal. … Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) collected a pair of assists at the MIAC Hockey Showcase. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) collected a combined 48 saves in the Cardinals' first two games last weekend. The sophomore goalie enters Saturday's match with St. Thomas owning a 2.04 goals-against-average and a .923 save percentage. … In his final start a year ago against Hamline, Heinle notched his first 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 have scored three of their four goals this seasonn in the third period. Saint Mary's opponents, meanwhile, have netted three of their four goals in the game's opening 20 minutes.
 
Scouting The St. Thomas Tommies:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
The Tommies' enter Saturday's game against Saint Mary's ranked No. 12 in the latest USCHO.com poll. UST opened the season ranked No. 5 in the preseason poll, but dropped seven spots after going 0-1-1 at the MIAC Hockey Showcase. … St. Thomas' 2-1 loss to Hamline last Sunday was just the third setback in its last 26 games vs. MIAC opponents (20-3-3). All three of those losses have been one-goal decisions. … St. Thomas received all eight votes to sit atop the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. … Connor McBride scored the Tommies' lone goal in their two games of the MIAC Hockey Showcase last weekend. … Willie Faust and Steve Sorensen picked up assists on McBride's goal. … UST went 121 minutes—more than five scoreless periods—before McBride netted the Tommies' first goal of the season with less than four minutes remaining in regulation against Hamline last Sunday. … Drew Fielding—a 2013-14 All-American and the reigning MIAC Co-Player of the Year—played both Showcase games in goal for UST, stopping 51 of the 53 shots he faced, including 26 saves in UST's 0-0 tie vs. Saint John's. … Fielding heads into this weekend's games vs. Saint Mary's with a 0.97 goals-against-average and a .962 save percentage. … Fielding broke the MIAC goals-against average record last season with his 1.17 in 16 conference games. ... The Tommies head into the 2014-15 season on the heels of their third straight MIAC regular-season title a year ago. ... St. Thomas broke a 10-year-old conference men's hockey record for fewest goals allowed (19) in a MIAC 16-game season a year ago.