WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team is right back on its home ice at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain UW-River Falls in a 7 p.m. nonconference game.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1-2 Overall) vs. UW-River Falls Falcons (0-3-0 Overall)
 
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• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—Friday, November 4, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals scored three unanswered goals—including the game-tying tallying five minutes into the third period—as Saint Mary's earned a 3-3 tie against eighth-ranked UW-Eau Claire at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• UW-River Falls—Friday, November 4, 2016 * Mendota Heights, Minn.: St. Thomas broke a 2-2 tie with a goal with less than six minutes remaining in regulation to hand UW-River Falls a 3-2 setback at the St. Thomas Ice Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-River Falls—Their Last Meeting:
• November 7, 2015 * River Falls, Wis.: For the second night in a row, Saint Mary's squared off against one of the nation's top teams. And for the second night in a row, the Cardinals came away with a positive result. The Cardinals, coming off a 3-3 overtime tie against UW-Eau Claire on Friday, scored three unanswered goals—two in the second period and another in the third—en route to a 4-2 victory over 10th-ranked UW-River Falls at W.H. Hunt Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, hosting Bethel in a 7 p.m. showdown at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Friday, before heading to the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., for Saturday's 7 p.m. rematch.
• UW-River Falls: The Falcons are right back on the ice on Tuesday, heading to Duluth, Minn., for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against St. Scholastica.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• Saturday's game against UW-River Falls is the second of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who play six of their next nine games at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. … The Cardinals' 3-3 tie against UW-Eau Claire Friday was their third straight overtime game—Saint Mary's opened the season with a 3-3 tie against St. Thomas and a 3-2 overtime loss to Concordia. … Saint Mary's is now 0-2-4 in their last six overtime games. The Cardinals' last OT win was a 4-3, double-overtime victory over Concordia in the 2015 MIAC Playoffs. … Taylor Portner (Andover, Minn.), Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.), and Alex DiBacco (Darien, Ill.) scored the Cardinals' three goals against UW-Eau Claire on Friday. … Saint Mary's eight goals this season have come from seven different players. Kinne is the only player with more than one goal. … Along with his team-leading two goals, Kinne also leads the team in points with three. … The Cardinals' 10 assists this season have come from 10 different players. … Mike Mezzano (Woodbury, Minn.) scored the Cardinals' first goal of the season, finding the back of the net at 12:45 of the second period against St. Thomas on Oct. 28. … DiBacco and Joey Mavrin (Lockport, Ill.) have each scored their first collegiate goals this season. … Phil Heinle (York, Pa.) finished with 23 saves in the Cardinals' 3-3 tie against UW-Eau Claire Friday night. It's the second time in two starts Heinle has earned a 3-3 tie, having stopped 27 shots against St. Thomas on Oct. 28. … Aaron Davis (Mound, Minn.) recorded 15 saves in the Cardinals' 3-2 OT loss to Concordia last Sunday. Davis' start against the Cobbers was his first in a Cardinal uniform. … The Cardinals have scored four of their eight goals this season in the third period. On the flip side, Saint Mary's opponents have outscored the Cardinals 3-1 in the first period and 4-3 in the second. … Saint Mary's has surrendered the game's first goal in all three games this season.
 
Scouting The UW-River Falls Falcons:
2016-17 Roster | 2016-17 Statistics | 2016-17 Schedule
• The Falcons entered the season ranked No. 12 in the USCHO.com Preseason Poll, but dropped out of the rankings after dropping back-to-back games to St. Scholastica (2-1) and Northland (4-2) during the opening weekend. … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of three straight road contests for the Falcons, who were at St. Thomas on Friday, and head to St. Scholastica for a rematch with the Saints on Tuesday. … UW-River Falls' game against Saint Mary's Saturday is the second straight against a team from the MIAC. The Falcons have all nine MIAC opponents on their schedule this season. … UW-River Falls' three goals in its losses to St. Scholastica and Northland came from three different players—Eddie Matsushima, Hunter Schneider, and Joe Drapluk. … Drapluk and Mitch Kontny netted the Falcons' two goals vs. St. Thomas on Friday. … With his goal against St. Thomas Friday, Drapluk moved into the team lead in goals with two, while sharing the top spot in points (2) with Matsushima, Kontny, and Schneider. … Alex Okicki has played all three games in goal for the Falcons, stopping 49 of the 58 shots he's faced. Okicki owns a 3.09 goals-against-average and an .845 save percentage. … UW-River Falls has scored two goals in both the second and third periods, while the Falcons' opponents have scored three times in all three periods. … UW-River Falls' 4-2 loss to Northland last Saturday marked the first time in the teams' four meetings that the Lumberjacks have beaten the Falcons.