ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday, traveling to Oscar Johnson Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown with Hamline.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-3-1 MIAC | 7-8-2 Overall) at Hamline Pipers (2-5-1MIAC | 5-8-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals came up empty in their final two nonconference games of the season last weekend, falling to fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point 6-2 last Friday at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena, while dropping a 6-3 home decision to UW-Stout a day later | UW-SP Recap * UW-Stout Recap
• Hamline: The Pipers split their two-game MIAC series against Concordia last weekend at Oscar Johnson Arena in St. Paul, Minn., winning Friday's opener 6-4, before losing the rematch 7-3 | CC Recap 1 * CC Recap 2
 
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:
• The Cardinals and Pipers head to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Saturday for the second game of their two-game conference series. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015-16 Roster | 2015-16 Statistics | 2015-16 Schedule
• 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' five goals in their losses to UW-Stevens Point and UW-Stout last weekend came from five different players. Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) and Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) scored the Cardinals' two goals in last Friday's 6-2 loss to UW-Stevens Point, while Dylan Dock (River Falls, Wis.), Jay Heinle (York, Pa.), and Jonathon Elliot (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) found the back of the net against UW-Stout a day later. … Gruse—who scored a pair of goals against St. Thomas on Jan. 8—has now scored three goals in the Cardinals' last two Friday games. … Gruse's two goals against UST 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 leads the team with 13 goals, three more than Gruse and four 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 (25). … Gruse is one of eight Cardinals with at least 10 points this season—Kinne (21), Heinle (17), Johnson (15), Wasell (14), Cesarz (14), Walz (14), and Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill. / 12) are the others. … Heinle and Landon Farrell (Rochester, Minn.) have each scored their first collegiate goals this season. … Jake Tugnutt (Peterborough, Ontario) made 26 saves against UW-Stevens Point in his second collegiate start last Friday. … Tugnutt 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 21 saves in Saint Mary's loss to UW-Stout last Saturday—stopped a career-high 45 shots against St. Thomas on Jan. 8, before adding 31 saves in the teams' rematch a day later. … 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 four goals in their win over St. Thomas on Jan. 8, the Cardinals have now scored four goals or more in 10 of their 17 games. … With their three goals against UW-Stout last Saturday, the Cardinals have now scored 72 goals in their first 17 games. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 26-19 in the game's final 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's is 6-1-2 when scoring first, while going 1-7-0 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' recent 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—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 is the third straight home game for the Pipers, who are 3-3-0 at Oscar Johnson Arena. Hamline has just two wins in 11 road games this season (2-5-4). … Brandon Zurn had a goal and three assists in the Pipers' 6-4 win over Concordia last Friday, while Chad Hennum, Jesse Kessler, Mitch Hall, and Buzz Tryggeseth netted HU's other five goals. Charlie Adams scored twice and Hunnum added the other in last Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Cobbers. … Fueled by his four-point night last Friday, Zurn moved into a tie for the team lead in points (31) with Adams. … Adams also leads the team in goals with 13, while Zurn boasts a team-best 19 assists. … With his five points vs. CC last weekend, Zurn became just the seventh player in school history to record 100 points in a career. In 96 games as a Piper, Zurn has scored 41 goals and assisted on 60 others. … Zurn and Adams both head into this weekend's MIAC series against Saint Mary's leading the nation with 31 points. … Zurn is also second in NCAA Division III in assists, with Adams sitting in third. … Zurn and Adams lead five Hamline players with 10 or more points—Mitch Hall (18), Mitch McPherson (17), and Jesse Kessler (13) 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 owns a 3.63 goals-against-average and .887 save percentage in 10 starts, while Selle-Hanson has a 4.50 GAA and .869 save percentage in seven starts. … Quale has amassed a team-best 314 saves. … Hamline is unbeaten (1-0-4) in its five overtime games this season—beating 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 twice 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 70-60 this season—including 36-24 in the game's middle period. … HU has scored first in 10 of its 17 games, going 4-3-3—the Pipers are 1-5-1 when their opponent scores first.