Box Score  | GameDay Preview

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Augsburg had it all — there were four goals, each team held the lead, and the game was tied once.

And that was just the first period.

Fortunately for coach Bill Moore, the second and third periods were much more in SMU's favor, as the Cardinals scored three unanswered goals and held off a late Augsburg rally in handing the Auggies a 5-4 setback at Ed Saugestad Rink.

"We played so much better than we did (Friday night)," said Moore, whose team dropped a 3-1 decision to the Auggies Friday evening at the SMU Ice Arena. "We were just so much better in every facet of the game.

"This was a big three points — the playoffs are still there for the taking, we just need to go out and do out part."

The Auggies got on the board first, as Rory Vessel beat SMU goalie Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) five minutes into the opening period.

But the Cardinals would answer — twice — as Jonathon Elliott (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) knotted things at 1-1 25 seconds later and Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa) netted his team-leading eighth of the season to give SMU a 2-1 advantage midway through the game's opening 20 minutes.

Zach Dick would pull the Auggies even before the first period ended, but Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.) and Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) would each find the back of the net for the Cardinals in the second period to give SMU a 4-2 advantage heading into the game's final 20 minutes.

Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) pushed the Cardinals' lead to 5-2 with his fourth of the season five minutes into the second period, and SMU held off a furious Augsburg rally — in which the Auggies scored twice in a 28-second span in the game's final minute — to snap their season-high six-game losing streak.

"When we play like we did tonight, we are as good as anyone in the conference," said Moore. "We've just got to get the guys to realize that this is the type of effort they need each and every time they step on the ice.

"We got a big three (conference) points tonight — now we've got to keep the momentum building."

The Cardinals (3-9-0 MIAC, 7-13-1 overall) are back in action next weekend, traveling to Concordia for a pair of MIAC contests. SMU and Concordia will square off at 7 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center on Friday, with the rematch taking place at 2 p.m. on Saturday.