WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team returns to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Saturday, hosting Bethel in the second game of the teams' two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0-0 MIAC | 2-2-1 Overall) vs. Bethel Royals (0-1-0 MIAC | 0-4-1 Overall)
 
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Last Night:
• The Cardinals erupted for eight unanswered goals—including two in the final nine seconds of the second period and one with one second remaining in the third—en route to a 10-2 win over Bethel in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener Friday at Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—A Year Ago:
• January 16, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: After scoring five goals in each of their last two games, Saint Mary's coach Bill Moore was hoping his Cardinals' high-octane offense would pick up right where it left off Friday against Bethel. It did. The Cardinals scored two goals in both the first and third periods­—and finished with five goals for the third straight game—as Saint Mary's knocked off Bethel 5-2 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• January 17, 2015 * Blaine, Minn.: Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) scored four unanswered goals—becoming the first Cardinal since Mike Glaesmer in the 2008-09 season to net four goals in a game—to lead Saint Mary's to its fifth straight five-goal game, a second consecutive 5-2 win over Bethel Saturday at the Schwan's Super Rink | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Saturday, heading to the Northfield (Minn.) Ice Arena for a 7:30 p.m. conference showdown with St. Olaf.
• Bethel: The Royals head to St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn., on Friday, squaring off against St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Friday's game at Bethel was the fifth straight road game for the Cardinals. … With their 10-2 win over the Royals Friday, the Cardinals improved to 2-0-1 in their last three games, including a win and a tie against nationally ranked teams—UW-Eau Claire (T, 3-3) was ranked No. 8 and UW-River Falls (W, 4-2) was No. 10 in the USCHO.com Poll. … Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) recorded his first collegiate hat trick against the Royals Friday, while Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) and Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) each chipped in a pair of goals. Saint Mary's other three goals came from Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.), Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.) and Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.). … Kinne also chipped in two assists vs. Bethel for his first career four-point game, while Gruse equaled his career-best with three assists to also finish with four points against the Royals. … Twelve different players recorded at least one point vs. Bethel Friday. … After not scoring a goal in his first season with the Cardinals last year, Heinle has now scored a team-high six goals—and enters Saturday's rematch with Bethel owning a four-game goal-scoring streak. … With his four-point night against Bethel Friday, Gruse moved into the team lead in both assists (6) and points (8). … Gruse's eight points are one better than Heinle and Kinne. … Heinle and Landon Farrell (Rochester, Minn.) have each scored their first collegiate goals this season. … Saint Mary's 26 goals have come from 13 different players, while 18 of the 22 players who have played for the Cardinals this season have recorded at least one point. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) made 26 saves against the Royals Friday, giving the junior 101 saves in four start this season … Heinle owns a 2.94 goals-against-average and an .894 save percentage in three starts. … Ten of the 20 goals the Cardinals have allowed this season have been on the power play. … The Cardinals have been outscored 17-13 in the first two periods—including 12-7 in the second—but Saint Mary's holds a 13-3 scoring edge in the game's final 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's is 1-0-1 when scoring the game's first goal, while going 1-2-0 in games in which the Cardinals' opponent scores first. … The Cardinals' 10 goals against Bethel on Friday were the most since netting 11 against Aurora on Dec. 6, 2014. … The Cardinals were picked to finish second in the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. … With their 5-4 loss to Gustavus on Oct. 30, the Cardinals fell to 0-3-0 in their last three season openers. Saint Mary's last season-opening win was a 7-2 victory over Bethel on Oct. 27, 2012.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Friday's game against Saint Mary's was the home-opener for the Royals, who played their first four contests this season on the road. … After opening the season with a 5-5 tie vs. St. Olaf at the MIAC Hockey Showcase, the Royals have now dropped four straight—including Friday's 10-2 loss to Saint Mary's … Friday's loss to the Cardinals marked the first time this season the Royals' outcome has not been decided by two goals or less. … With their 10 goals allowed against Saint Mary's Friday, Bethel has now surrendered four or more goals in four of its five games this season. … Peter Barrel, George Splichal, Travis Payne, J.T. Walters, and Nick Eytcheson all share the team lead with two goals each. … Dallas Marvin assisted on both Bethel goals vs. Saint Mary's Friday, giving him a team-best four assists, one more than Mitch Hughes, Michael Bond, and Jackson Purvis. … Barral, Splichal, Bond, and Marvin all share the team lead in points with four each. … Bethel's 14 goals have come from nine different players, while 14 Royals have recorded at least one point. … Bethel has scored four power-play goals, led by Hughes with two. … Bethel has used two goalies in its first five games—Jesse Garcia owns a 4.74 goals-against-average and .883 save percentage in four appearances, while Tucker Murphy boasts a 5.34 GAA and .870 save percentage in two appearances. … Bethel has been outscored 26-14—including 6-3 in the first period, 10-7 in the second, and 10-4 in the third and overtime. … BU is 0-2-0 when scoring the game's first goal, and 0-2-1 when its opponent scores first.