WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team returns home on Friday for the first game of their key two-game MIAC series against Augsburg, as the Cardinals host the Auggies in a 7 p.m. contest at the SMU Ice Arena.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-8-0 MIAC | 6-12-1 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (2-5-3 MIAC | 9-7-3 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals dropped both games in their two-game MIAC series against St. Olaf last weekend, falling 5-1 in Northfield, Minn., on Friday, before adding a 7-2 setback a day later at the SMU Ice Arena. … Augsburg is also coming into this weekend on the heels of back-to-back conference losses, falling to St. Thomas 5-1 on Friday in Minneapolis, Minn., and 5-3 on Saturday in Mendota Heights, Minn.

SMU vs. Augsburg — Earlier This Year:
November 1, 2013: SMU coach Bill Moore admitted that he saw his share of good — and bad — during the Cardinals' season-opener against Augsburg at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hockey Showcase at Fogerty Arena. Unfortunately for the SMU head coach, there was more bad than good, as Augsburg rode a three-goal second period to a 6-2 nonconference victory over the Cardinals.

SMU vs. Augsburg — A Year Ago:
January 25, 2013: In the first 20 minutes at Ed Saugestad Rink, the two teams had already combined for nine goals. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was the Auggies doing the majority of the scoring, as Augsburg accounted for six of the first period's nine goals in handing SMU a 7-3 setback in Minneapolis, Minn.
January 26, 2013: Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) kicked out a career-high 33 shots in his fourth collegiate start, but Augsburg goalie John Bretzman did the Cardinal sophomore one better, kicking out all 25 SMU shots, as the Auggies handed Saint Mary's a 2-0 conference setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals head to Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, as SMU and Augsburg square off for the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.), A.J. Mueller (New Berlin, Wis.) and Mike Wolter (Antigo, Wis.) picked up SMU's three goals against St. Olaf last weekend. … Mueller's goal was his first of the season, and the junior's first since scoring four times during his first season as a Cardinal two years ago. … With his goal on Friday night, Thompson moved into a share of the team lead in points (11) with Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa). … Along with sharing the team lead in points, Marx also leads the team in goals with a career-high seven. … Thompson leads the team with six assists, one more than Wolter, Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.), Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.). … Albergo accounted for all three of the Cardinals' goals against Bethel on Jan. 18 en route to his first collegiate hat trick. … Albergo's hat trick marked the first time since Mike Glaesmer scored four goals at Hamline on Dec 6, 2008 that SMU has boasted a player with three or more goals in a game. … The Cardinals boast five players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season — Elliott, Albergo, Gruse, Wolter and Mike Mezzano (Woodbury, Minn.). … Twelve of SMU's 40 goals this season — including last Friday's vs. St. Olaf — have come on the power-play. … Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) finished with 45 saves against St. Olaf last Friday — including 38 in the first two periods combined. … Gaffy's 45 saves vs. the Oles were one shy of his career-high 46-save effort against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 16. … Gaffy's 46 saves against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 16 were the most saves by a Cardinal goalie since Jason Horstman stopped 52 on Feb. 19, 2011. … Gaffy, who leads the team with 329 saves, owns a 3.42 goals-against-average and an .896 save percentage. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.), who stopped a career-high 31 shots in SMU's 2-2 tie vs. MSOE on Jan. 11, enters Saturday's game against St. Olaf leading the team with a 2.85 GAA and .904 save percentage, while Mitch Fernsler (Ballwin, Mo.) has a 4.76 GAA and .846 save percentage. … As a team, the Cardinals posted a season-high 41 shots on goal against UW-Superior on Nov. 16. … The Cardinals' 4-3 loss to Bethel on Jan. 18 marked the ninth time in 19 contests that the game has been decided by two goals or less. … SMU's 2-2 tie vs. MSOE on Jan. 11 was the Cardinals' first overtime game of the season. … The Cardinals' four goals in a 6-4 loss against UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 16 were the most in a loss since scoring four in a 5-4 overtime setback against Augsburg on Jan. 28, 2012. … Four of SMU's six wins this season have been by one goal — 3-2 win over Augsburg and Saint John's, and back-to-back 2-1 victories over Lake Forest. … SMU is 3-2-1 when scoring first and 3-9-0 when its opponent nets the game's first goal.

Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2013-14 Roster | 2013-14 Statistics | 2013-14 Schedule
Last weekend's two losses to St. Thomas extended the Auggies' winless streak to seven (0-5-2). Augsburg has not won since beating Milwaukee School of Engineering 3-1 on Jan. 10. … The Auggies, who opened the season 8-0-1 — a run that included a season-high six-game winning streak — are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games. … Not only did Augsburg tie its two games against Concordia on Jan. 24-25, but they also lost both shootouts 1-0. … Augsburg has played four overtime games this season, going 1-0-3. … Niklas Almstrom netted Augsburg's lone goal in last Friday's 5-1 loss to St. Thomas, while George Jackson, B.J. McClellan and Rory Vessel accounted for the Auggies' three goals in last Saturday's 5-3 setback to UST. … Mack Ohnsted heads into this weekend's series against Saint Mary's leading the team in assists (14) and points (17). … Ohnsted is one of seven Augsburg players with 10 or more points through 19 games — Ben McClellan (15), Nicholas Widing (12), Almstrom (11), Chris Student (11), Carl Krieger (10) and Dylan Meier (10) are the others. … Ben McClellan has scored a team-best 11 goals. … Augsburg 57 goals have come from 15 different players, while 21 of the 23 players who have seen action this season have notched at least one point. … John Bretzman and Matthew Barthels have shared the goaltending duties, with Bretzman owning a 2.82 goals-against-average and .894 save percentage, while Barthels comes into the weekend with a 2.99 GAA and .871 save percentage. … Bretzman also leads the team with 312 saves. … Augsburg netted a season-high nine goals in a 9-2 win over Northland on Nov. 22. … The Auggies have outscored their opponents 57-55, but have been outscored 22-15 in the third period. … Augsburg is 7-2-2 when scoring the game's first goal, but just 2-5-1 when its opponent scores first.