WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team is back on its home ice on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Hamline in the second game of their two-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-4-1 MIAC | 7-9-2 Overall) at Hamline Pipers (3-5-1MIAC | 6-8-4 Overall)
 
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Last Night:
• Hamline got a combined four goals and six assists from Brandon Zurn and Charlie Adams, as the Pipers edged the Cardinals 6-5 in overtime at Oscar Johnson Arena in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline—Earlier This Year:
• November 1, 2015 * Blaine, Minn.: Hamline scored seven power-play goals and added a shorthanded tally in handing the Cardinals an 8-5 setback during the MIAC Hockey Showcase at the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Hamline—A Year Ago:
• February 20, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) has scored 13 goals during his first season as a member of the Cardinals. And none was been bigger than lucky No. 13, as Cesarz goal with 2:47 left in overtime lifted the Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over Hamline—and into the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 season | Recap
• February 21, 2015 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's entered its regular-season finale against Hamline certain of two things—the Cardinals would be a part of the five-team Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoffs and their playoff opener would be on their home ice. All that needed to be decided was when that post-season game would take place. And thanks to a five-goal outburst, that day will be next Saturday, as the Cardinals held off the Pipers 5-4 at the Oscar Johnson Ice Arena, earning Saint Mary's a second-place finish in the MIAC standings—and the coveted No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs | Recap
• March 7, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: It's been a nailbiting month for Saint Mary's. The Cardinals collected four one-goal wins, including three in overtime—the last a double-overtime thriller against Concordia—en route to earning a spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoff Championship game. Unfortunately for the Cardiac Cardinals, there would be no-late game heroics this time around, as Hamline scored a pair of third-period goals—including an empty netter with 31 seconds remaining—in handing Saint Mary's a heartbreaking 4-2 setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to their home ice on Friday, hosting Augsburg in the first game of their two-game conference series. Opening face-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
• Hamline: The Pipers kick off their two-game MIAC series against Bethel on their home ice Friday, hosting the Royals in a 7 p.m. contest at Oscar Johnson Arena.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• With their 6-5 loss to Hamline on Friday, the Cardinals have now surrendered six goals in each of their last four games. … Saint Mary's has scored five times in its last two games vs. Hamline—both losses. HU outscored the Cardinals 8-5 in the teams' first meeting this season at the MIAC Hockey Showcase. … Saint Mary's five goals against the Pipers Friday came from five different players—Drew DePalma (Armada, Mich.), Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.), Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.), Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.), and Jay Heinle (York, Pa.). … Gruse has now scored four goals in the Cardinals' last three Friday night games. … Gruse's two goals against St. Thomas on Jan. 8 marked the second time this season—and sixth time in his collegiate career—that he has recorded a multiple-goal game. … After not scoring a goal in his first year as a Cardinal, Heinle—who has scored in back-to-back games—leads the team with 14 goals, three more than Gruse and five in front of Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.). … The Cardinals have recorded three hat tricks this season—Kinne scored three times against Aurora on Nov. 29, while Heinle posted his first collegiate hat trick against Bethel on Nov. 13, and Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.) found the back of the net three times against Bethel on Nov. 14. … Kinne also added an assist against Aurora on Nov. 29 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 on Nov. 28-29—including a team-leading four assists from Walz. … Gruse has recorded at least one point in 13 of the team's 17 games, while Kinne has notched at least one point in 11 of 17 contests. … Saint Mary's has had a player dish out three assists in a game three times this season—Gruse has done it twice, while Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.) achieved the feat once. … Gruse—who posted the third four-point game of his collegiate career against Bethel on Nov. 13—leads the team in both assists (15) and points (26), and his second to Heinle in goals with 11. … Gruse is one of eight Cardinals with at least 10 points this season—Kinne (22), Heinle (19), Johnson (16), Cesarz (15), Wasell (14), Walz (14), and Albergo (13) are the others. … DePalma became the third Cardinal to score his first collegiate goal with his first-period tally against Hamline Friday. Heinle and Landon Farrell (Rochester, Minn.) have also scored their first goals as a Cardinal this season. … Jake Tugnutt (Peterborough, Ontario) made his first collegiate start in goal against Aurora on Nov. 29, stopping 23 shots to record his first win in a Cardinal uniform. … Jake Hebda (Firestone, Colo.)—who made 36 saves in Saint Mary's loss to Hamline Friday—stopped a career-high 45 shots against St. Thomas on Jan. 8. … Hebda earned his first win in a Cardinal uniform with his 45-save showing in Saint Mary's 4-3 win over UST on Jan. 8. … Hebda's 45 saves against St. Thomas last Friday marked the second straight game a Cardinal goalie posted 45 saves—Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) made a season-high 45 saves against MSOE last on Jan. 3. … With their five goals in their loss to Hamline Friday, the Cardinals have now scored four goals or more in 11 of their 18 games. … With their five-goal effort against Hamline Friday, the Cardinals have now scored 77 goals in their first 18 games. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 27-19 in the game's final 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's is 6-1-2 when scoring first, while going 1-8-0 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' season-high eight-game unbeaten streak (6-0-2) was the longest since Saint Mary's went 7-0-1 during the 1996-97 season. … Saint Mary's 4-3 victory over St. Thomas on Jan. 8 snapped a 22-game winless streak (0-19-3) against the Tommies—dating back to a 4-2 win on Dec. 11, 2004. … The Cardinals 6-2 loss to fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point last Friday was their fourth game against a nationally ranked team this season. Saint Mary's also collected a 4-2 win over 10^th-ranked UW-River Falls, battled No. 8 UW-Eau Claire to a 3-3 tie, and fell to No. 15 MSOE 6-4. … 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.
 
Scouting The Hamline Pipers:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• Friday's game against Saint Mary's was the third straight home game for the Pipers, who are 4-3-0 at Oscar Johnson Arena. Hamline has just two wins in 11 road games this season (2-5-4). … Brandon Zurn and Charlie Adams each scored twice in the Pipers' 6-5 OT win over Saint Mary's Friday. The duo also chipped in a combined four assists. … Adams has now posted back-to-back two-goal games, while Zurn has scored twice in two of the Pipers' last three contests. … Fueled by his six-point night against the Cardinals (2 goals, 4 assists), Adams moved into the team lead in goals (15), assists (22), and points (37). … Zurn is second to Adams ion all three offensive categories with 14 goals, 21 assists and 35 points. … Zurn is just the seventh player in school history to record 100 points in a career. In 97 games as a Piper, Zurn has scored 43 goals and assisted on 62 others. … Adams heads into Saturday's rematch against Saint leading the nation with 37 points. … Adams is also second in NCAA Division III in assists, with Zurn sitting in third. … Zurn and Adams lead five Hamline players with 10 or more points—Mitch Hall (22), Mitch McPherson (18), and Jesse Kessler (15) are the others. … Zurn owns the team's only hat trick—scoring four times against Saint Mary's in the team's meeting earlier this season at the MIAC Hockey Showcase—and is also the team-leader with two game-winning goals. … Twenty-three of Hamline's 60 goals this season have come on the power-play, where the Pipers are 23-for-76 (30 percent). … Justin Quale and John Selle-Hanson have shared the goaltending duties for the Pipers this season. Quale—who made 25 saves against Saint Mary's on Friday—owns a 3.74 goals-against-average and .884 save percentage in 11 starts, while Selle-Hanson has a 4.50 GAA and .869 save percentage in seven starts. … Quale has amassed a team-best 339 saves. … Hamline is unbeaten (2-0-4) in its five overtime games this season—beating Saint Mary's (6-5) and UW-Superior (5-4), while tying Gustavus (3-3), St. Olaf (5-5), UW-River Falls (3-3), and UW-Stout (4-4). … Hamline has scored six or more goals three this season—including a season-high eight in the Pipers' 8-4 victory over Saint Mary's on Nov. 1. … The Pipers have been outscored 75-66 this season—including 37-25 in the game's middle period. … HU has scored first in 11 of its 18 games, going 5-3-3—the Pipers are 1-5-1 when their opponent scores first.