MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team hits the road on Friday, traveling to the Moorhead Sports Center for the first of two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games against Concordia. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-0-1 MIAC | 6-2-2 Overall) at Concordia Cobbers (2-0-0 MIAC | 3-3-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats | Video Preview
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals scored a combined six goals in the third period en route to a 7-4, 5-3 nonconference sweep of Aurora last Saturday and Sunday at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | AU Recap 1 * AU Recap 2
• Concordia: The Cobbers have been off since Nov. 13-14, when they dropped 5-0 and 6-3 nonconference home decisions to UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire, respectively | UW-SP Recap * UW-EC Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• November 2, 2014 * Blaine, Minn.: After being shut out by Augsburg 2-0 in their season opener, the Cardinals went another 18:54 before finally finding the back of the net. Over the next 41:06, Saint Mary's would score three more times—including two from Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska)—as the Cardinals dropped Concordia 4-2 during the third day of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hockey Showcase | Recap
• February 13, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: After trading goals with Concordia for the first three periods, Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) scored his second goal of the game 1:25 into overtime, lifting the Cardinals to a key 4-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• February 14, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: The Cobbers erupted for three goals in both the first and second periods and cruised to an 8-3 victory and a split in the their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against the Cardinals at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• March 1, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals needed 60 minutes of regulation—and 21:05 of overtime—to get past visiting Concordia, getting the game-winning goal from Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) 1:05 into the second OT in handing the Cobbers a 4-3 setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. And, more importantly, earning the Cardinals a spot in the MIAC Playoff championship game for the first time since the 1994-95 season | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Cobbers return to the Moorhead Sports Center on Saturday for the second game of the teams' two-game conference series. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• With their 7-4, 5-3 wins over Aurora last weekend, the Cardinals pushed their unbeaten streak to eight (6-0-2). It's the longest unbeaten streak since Saint Mary's went 7-0-1 during the 1996-97 season. … With their 12 goals against Aurora last weekend, the Cardinals have now scored 54 goals in their first 10 games (5.40 gpg)—ranking No. 1 in all of NCAA Division III. … Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) each scored twice vs. the Spartans in Saturday's 7-4 Saint Mary's win, while Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) netted three goals in Sunday's 5-3 win. … Kinne's hat trick vs. Aurora last Sunday was his first of the season and second of his collegiate career. … Kinne's three-goal game was the Cardinals' third of the season—Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) posted his first collegiate hat trick against Bethel on Nov. 13, while Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.) found the back of the net three times against Bethel on Nov. 14. … Kinne also added an assist against Aurora last Sunday for his second four-point game of the season. … The Cardinals had eight different players record at least two points in the two-game series vs. Aurora last weekend—including a team-leading four assists from Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.). … Gruse—who assisted on three of the team's five goals in last Sunday's 5-3 win over Aurora—has recorded at least one point in nine of the team's 10 games, including 15 in his last five contests (5 G, 10 A). … Kinne has notched at least one point in eight of 10 games—including 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in Saint Mary's last six contests. … Saint Mary's has had a player dish out three assists in a game three times—Gruse has done it twice, while Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.) has achieved the feat once. … After not scoring a goal in his first year as a Cardinal, Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) has now netted a goal in six of the team's 10 games—and leads the team with nine goals, one more than Kinne. … Gruse—who posted the third four-point game of his collegiate career against Bethel on Nov. 13—leads the team in both assists (13) and points (19). … Gruse's 13 assists lead the nation. … Gruse is one of seven Cardinals with at least 10 points this season—Kinne (17), Johnson (13), Wasell (13), Heinle (11), Albergo (10), and Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn. / 10) are the others. … Heinle and Farrell have each scored their first collegiate goals this season. … Jake Tugnutt (Peterborough, Ontario) made his first collegiate start in goal against Aurora last Sunday, stopping 23 shots to record his first win in a Cardinal uniform. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) heads into this weekend's games against Concordia leading the team with a 2.70 goals-against-average and an .896 save percentage. The junior goalie has made 190 saves in eight starts. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 21-6 in the game's final 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's is 5-0-2 when scoring the game's first goal, while going 1-2-0 in games in which the Cardinals' opponent scores first. … The Cardinals' 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. … 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 Concordia Cobbers:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• The Cobbers return to conference play this weekend against Saint Mary's on the heels of back-to-back nonconference losses to UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire. … CC's 5-0 and 6-3 setbacks to the Pointers and Blugolds marks the first time this season the Cobbers have lost back-to-back games. … After playing four games that were decided by a combined six goals, Concordia was outscored 11-3 in their nonconference games vs. UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire. … Jon Grebosky enters this weekend's games against Saint Mary's as the team leader in goals (3) and points (5). … Charlie Aus, Jordie Bancroft, and Zach Doerring share the team lead in assists with three each. … Aus and Mario Bianchi are second to Grebosky with four points apiece. … Aus, Brian Kronberger and Jake Stilwell have netted the Cobbers' three game-winning goals. … Alex Reichle has started all six games in goal for the Cobbers, compiling a 3.36 goals-against-average and an .898 save percentage. … Reichle has made 167 saves. … Concordia has allowed two power play goals in each of its last three games, while the Cobbers' power play has gone 0-for-11 in that same span. CC is just 2-for-26 with the man advantage this season, while the Cobbers' opponents are scoring at a 40 percent clip (8-for-20) on the power play. … Concordia has been outscored 20-14 through six games—7-5 in the first period, 9-7 in the second, and 4-2 in the third. … The Cobbers are 2-1-0 when scoring first, while going 1-2-0 when their opponent nets the game's first goal.