WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota coach Bill Moore has preached all season long that the key for the Cardinals is to focus on winning each period.
 
Friday evening, the Cardinals won just one period—the only one that mattered.
 
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.
 
"The guys battled all game—and never got down when (Concordia) would score to tie the game," said Saint Mary's coach Bill Moore, whose Cardinals improved to 7-4-2 in conference play and is tied for second with the Cobbers—three points behind league-leading St. Thomas with three games remaining in the regular season. "To come up with a win like this, it's huge—the guys definitely deserved the result they got tonight."
 
The teams traded goals in each of the three regulation periods, setting up Gruse's overtime heroics.
 
Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.) got the Cardinals on the board first, netting his second of the season midway through the first period, but the Cobbers answered with a Johnson goal of their own, as Jeremy Johnson beat Cardinal goalie Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) at 14:34 to knot the game at 1-1.
 
The Cardinals regained that one-goal advantage 12 minutes into the second period, as Gruse found the back of the net for the 17th time this season.
 
The lead, however, lasted just four minutes, as Concordia's Charlie Aus recorded the Cobbers' second powerplay goal in as many opportunities to make it a 2-2 game heading into the third period.
 
In the third, Saint Mary's once again grabbed the lead on a goal by Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) at 10:14. And, for the third straight period, the Cobbers quickly answered getting a goal by Jordan Krebsbach five minutes later to knot the game at 3-3.
 
The Cardinals did not waste any time in the extra period, as Gruse picked up a loose puck and banged his own rebound past Concordia goalie Jordyn Kaufer for the game-winner.
 
Heinle finished with 23 saves for the Cardinals, while Kaufer made 26 saves in goal for CC.
 
The Cardinals (7-4-2 MIAC, 12-8-2 overall) look to complete the two-game conference sweep of the Cobbers on Saturday, as the two teams square off in a 2 p.m. MIAC contest at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
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