GENEVA, Ill.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team completes its two-game nonconference series against Aurora on Saturday, as the two teams square off in a 7:15 p.m showdown at the Fox Valley Ice Arena.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-5-2 Overall) at Aurora Spartans (1-6-0 Overall)
 
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Last Night:
• Aurora scored four special team goals—three power play and one shorthanded—as the Spartans handed the Cardinals a 6-3 nonconference setback at Fox Valley Ice Center in Geneva, Ill. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Aurora—Their Last Meeting:
• This weekend's nonconference games between the Cardinals and Spartans are the first in program history.
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Sunday, Jan. 4, when they travel to the Kern Center in Milwaukee, Wis., for a 5 p.m. nonconference game against Milwaukee School of Engineering.
• Aurora: The Spartans are right back on the ice on Sunday, hosting St. Scholastica in a 2 p.m. nonconference game at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Ill.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
The Cardinals are in the midst of a seven-game road stretch—Saint Mary's does not return home until Jan. 9-10, 2015, when they host St. Scholastica and Northland at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. … The Cardinals' first eight games have included five against nationally ranked opponents. … The Cardinals' first eight games have included five against nationally ranked opponents. … Seven of Saint Mary's first nine games this season have been decided by two goals or less. … Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska) scored for the second straight game in Friday's 6-3 loss to Aurora, while Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.) and Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) accounted for the Cardinals' other two goals vs. the Spartans. … Wasell's first-period tally Friday was his first in a Cardinal uniform. … The Cardinals boast five players who have netted their first collegiate goals this season—Wasell, 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. … McGlasson—who recorded the second two-goal game of his career with a pair of goals vs. Concordia on Nov. 2—has now recorded a goal and an assist in each of Saint Mary's last two games. … Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.) had a pair of assists vs. Aurora Friday, joining Marx, Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) and Mike Wolter (Antigo, Wis.) as players who have put together two-assist games this season. … McGlasson and Gruse share the team lead in goals with five each, and are joined by Marx as the team's leaders with eight points apiece. … Marx also leads the team in assists with five, one more than Walz and Nick Alberg (Elmhurst, Ill.). … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) recorded a career-high 51 saves against Saint John's on Nov. 21. … Heinle's 51 saves are the most by a Cardinal goalie since Jason Horstman stopped 52 shots against Gustavus on Feb. 19, 2011. … Heinle, who has started eight of the team's nine games, enters Saturday's rematch against Aurora owning a 2.58 goals-against-average and a .924 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. … 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. … The Cardinals have scored just three times in the second period through nine games—Saint Mary's has scored eight goals in the first period and 12 in the third. … Two of the Cardinals' four 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 the Cardinals' 2-1 shootout win over Saint John's on Nov. 21. … 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. … 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 Aurora Spartans:
2014-15 Roster | 2014-15 Schedule | 2014-15 Statistics
The Spartans—playing at an NCAA Division III level for the first time in program history—snapped its season-opening six-game losing streak with their 6-3 win over Saint Mary's Friday. … Friday's game against the Cardinals was the home opener for the Spartans, who played their first six NCAA Division III games on the road. … Aurora has scored first in each of its last four games—including building a 3-0 lead over Milwaukee School of Engineering in last Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss. …The Spartans' six goals vs. Saint Mary's Friday came from six different players—Michael Mikulan, Rihards Marenis, Ron Lindgren, Andrew Bergquist, Sheldon Kihle, and Justin Gregory. … Marenis, Mikulan, and Trevor Hoth head into Saturday's rematch with Saint Mary's owning a team-best four goals. … Marenis is the team-leader in assists (7) and points (11). … Mikulan—who scored Aurora's first NCAA Division III goal in program history 25 seconds into the second period of the Spartans' season-opening 6-2 loss to UW-Superior on Oct. 31—is second to Marenis in both assists (6) and points (9). … Mikulan and Jimmie Perkins have each posted two-goal games, while Marenis recorded a team-high four points in AU's 6-5 overtime loss to MSOE last Saturday. … Aurora has used four different goalies this season. Lucas Thompson made 31 saves vs. Saint Mary's Friday in his first start between the pipes. Griffin Strain has compiled a 6.33 goals-against-average and .860 save percentage in a team-high three starts, while Kyle Weiner (7.00 GAA, .823 save percentage) has started two games and Michael Kitts (5.56 GAA, .887 save percentage) started AU's 6-5 overtime loss to MSOE last Saturday. … Strain owns a team-leading 117 saves, with Kitts' 47-save effort against MSOE a single-game team high. … Aurora has scored eight second-period goals, while netting seven goals in both the first and third periods. … AU's opponents have netted 22 of their 42 goals in the game's middle period.