WINONA, Minn. — For 40 minutes Friday evening, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey could do no wrong against Saint John's, as the Cardinals dominated play at both ends of the ice—and it showed on the scoreboard
 
The Cardinals scored the game's first three goals and went into the locker room after the second period boasting what appeared to be a commanding 3-1 advantage.
 
Unfortunately for Saint Mary's, over the final 20 minutes, nothing went right for the Cardinals, as Saint John's scored four, third-period goals—including the game-winner with 3:13 remaining in regulation—to lift the Johnnies to a 5-4, come-from-behind win at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
"That's a tough one to swallow," said Saint Mary's coach Bill Moore. "I thought we played so well through the first two periods, and just couldn't match that intensity in the third."
 
Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) had a hand in the Cardinals' first three goals—sandwiching his 10^th goal of the season around assists on goals by Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.) and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.)—in giving the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage.
 
Wasell got the Cardinals on the board five minutes into the opening period, corralling a loose puck in front of the SJU net and rifling a shot past Johnnie goalie Saxton Soley for a quick 1-0 Saint Mary's lead.
 
Albergo would make it 2-0 with seven minutes remaining in the opening period, and Gruse added his 14^th of the season 10:03 into the second period to give the Cardinals a 3-0 edge.
 
The Johnnies, however, would not go down quietly, scoring their first of the game with 1:16 remaining in the second to cut the Saint Mary's advantage to 3-1 heading into the game's final 20 minutes.
 
Twenty minutes that coach Moore would love to have back.
 
Saint John's quickly turned that 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 deadlock, scoring back-to-back goals 31 seconds apart before the third period was even three minutes old.
 
Matt Colford tallied SJU's third straight third-period goal, beating Jake Tugnutt (Peterborough, Ontario) for his fourth goal of the season at 12:47.
 
Jonathon Elliott (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)—one of three seniors honored before the game as part of Senior Night—pulled the Cardinals even with his third of the season just 36 seconds after Colford's goal.
 
The game did not remain tied for long, however, as Mitch Fritz capped the Saint John's comeback, scoring the game-winner with 3:13 remaining in regulation.
 
Tugnutt finished with 32 saves for the Cardinals, while Soley kicked out 28 of the 32 Cardinal shots he faced.
 
Saint Mary's (6-8-1 MIAC, 9-13-2 overall) get another shot at the Johnnies on Saturday, as the two teams take the ice at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for a 2 p.m. rematch.