WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team steps out of conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Aurora in the second game of their two-game nonconference series at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. Game time is slated for 3 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-2-2 Overall) vs. Aurora Spartans (1-5-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview | GameDay Program
 
Last Night:
• The Cardinals erupted for three third-period goals, breaking away from a 4-4 tie and cruising to a 7-4 nonconference win over Aurora at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Aurora—A Year Ago:
• December 5, 2014 * Geneva, Ill.: Aurora scored four special teams goals—three power play tallies and a shorthanded goal—in dealing Saint Mary's a 6-3 nonconference setback at the Fox Valley Ice Center | Recap
• December 6, 2014 * Geneva, Ill.: After dropping a 6-3 nonconference decision to Aurora the previous night, Saint Mary's was determined to make a statement in the teams' rematch. Message delivered—with authority. The Cardinals erupted for a season-high 11 goals—including five in the second period—in cruising to an 11-2 victory over Aurora and a split of the teams' nonconference series at the Fox Valley Ice Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, traveling to the Moorhead Sports Center for a pair of games against Concordia. Game times are set for 7 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
• Aurora: The Spartans return to Northern Collegiate Hockey Association play next weekend, hosting Concordia (Wis.) at the Fox Valley Ice Center on Friday, before traveling to Mequon, Wis., for the teams' rematch on Saturday.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• With their 7-4 win over Aurora on Saturday, the Cardinals pushed their unbeaten streak to seven (5-0-2). It's the longest unbeaten streak since Saint Mary's went 7-0-1 during the 1996-97 season. … With their seven goals against Aurora on Saturday, the Cardinals have now scored 49 goals in their first nine games (5.44 gpg)—ranking No. 2 in all of NCAA Division III. … The Cardinals' 10 goals against Bethel in their Nov. 13 10-2 victory were the most since netting 11 against Aurora on Dec. 6, 2014—and the most in a conference game since scoring 14 against Concordia on Dec. 7, 2007. … The Cardinals' combined 19 goals in their sweep of the Royals were the most since scoring 21 in 14-3 and 7-2 victories over Concordia on Dec. 7-8, 2007. … Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) each scored twice vs. the Spartans Saturday, while Landon Farrell (Rochester, Minn.), Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.), and Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.) accounted for the other three. … Albergo also added an assist and Johnson chipped in two assists to give the duo a team-best three points vs. Aurora Saturday. … Jay Heinle (York, Pa.)—who recorded his first collegiate hat trick against Bethel on Nov. 13—notched his second multiple-goal game of the season with a pair of tallies against St. Olaf on Nov. 21. … After not scoring a goal in his first year as a Cardinal, Heinle has now netted a goal in six of the team's nine games—and leads the team with nine goals. … Gruse—a Second-Team All-American last season—leads the team in assists (10) and points (16). … With his two goals against Aurora, Gruse has recorded at least one point in eight of the team's nine games—including 12 points in his last five contests (5 G, 7 A). … Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) has notched at least one point in seven of nine games—including 10 points (4 G, 6 A) in Saint Mary's last five contests. … Gruse's four-point effort vs. Bethel on Nov. 13 was the third time in his collegiate career—and second time against Bethel—that he has notched four points in a game. … Kinne's four-point night vs. the Royals on Nov. 13 was his first in a Cardinal uniform. … Saint Mary's had a player score three goals in both games of its conference series vs. Bethel on Nov. 13-14—Heinle recorded his first collegiate hat trick in Friday's 10-2 win, while Johnson posted his first three-goal game in a Cardinal uniform in Saint Mary's 9-1 victory over Bethel on Nov. 14. … Johnson also picked up an assist in the 9-1 win en route to the first four-point game of his collegiate career. … Wasell recorded three assists in the Cardinals' 9-1 win vs. Bethel on Nov. 14—it was the first three-assist game of his collegiate career. … Heinle and Farrell have each scored their first collegiate goals this season. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) made 19 saves against Aurora Saturday, giving the junior 190 saves in eight starts this season … Heinle owns a 2.70 goals-against-average and an .896 save percentage this season. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 18-5 in the game's final 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's is 4-0-2 when scoring the game's first goal, while going 1-2-0 in games in which the Cardinals' opponent scores first. … The Cardinals have faced two nationally ranked teams this season, collecting a 4-2 win over 10th-ranked UW-River Falls and battling No. 8 UW-Eau Claire to a 3-3 tie. … The Cardinals—who reached the MIAC Playoffs championship game a year ago, after finishing second in the regular-season standings—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 Aurora Spartans:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
 Saturday's loss to Saint Mary's pushed Aurora's losing streak to three straight. … Three of the Spartans' first five opponents this season have been nationally ranked—No. 2 UW-Stevens Point, No. 8 UW-Eau Claire, and No. 9 St. Norbert. … Aurora scored nearly as many goals on Saturday (4) as they had in its previous four losses combined (6). … On the flip side, the Spartans have netted a combined six goals in their win and tie. … Aurora's 7-4 loss to Saint Mary's marked the third time this season the Spartans have surrendered seven goals in a game—Aurora also gave up seven goals in losses to St. Norbert (7-1) and UW-Stevens Point (7-3)—while allowing a season-high 10 in a 10-1 setback against UW-Eau Claire. … Tom Greene heads into Sunday's rematch with Saint Mary's leading the team in goals with three. … Greene also shares the team lead in points (4) with Anthony Pnewski and Trevor Hoth. … Greene has netted the Spartans' game-winning and game-tying goals this season. … Hoth and Patrick Sofer share the team lead in assists with three each. … all share the top spot in assists with two each. … Aurora's 16 goals have come from 11 different players, while 17 Spartans have recorded at least one point. … Jared Rutledge—who made 32 saves against Saint Mary's on Saturday—has started six of the team's seven games in goal. … Rutledge owns a team-leading 4.58 goals-against-average and an .890 save percentage. … Rutledge has stopped 242 of the 272 shots he's faced this season. … The Spartans are 1-1-0 when scoring the game's first goal, while going 0-4-1 when their opponent scores first. … The Spartans have played four of their first seven games at home—but they are still searching for their first home-ice victory, going 0-4-0. Aurora is 1-1-1 on the road this season.