ST. PETER, Minn. — Heading into Friday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown against Gustavus, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey coach Bill Moore said the key to his Cardinals' success would be getting off to a good start.
 
Holding the Gusties off the board for the game's first 35 minutes—and scoring two goals in six seconds early in the second—certainly could constitute a good start.
 
The Cardinals used a pair of scoring outbursts—one in the second period and another late in the third—en route to a clutch, 4-1 conference win over the host Gusties at Don Roberts Ice Arena.
 
"We put together a solid, 60-minute performance," said Saint Mary's coach Bill Moore. "Getting off the a good start was key—we played very well in the first period, dominating play for the most part, and that really set the tone for us.
 
"We knew how important tonight was, and the guys really stepped up their games and came through in the clutch."
 
After a scoreless first period, the Cardinals turned up the heat a bit, as Jude Warner (Pickerington, Ohio) and Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) netted back-to-back goals in a six-second span—Warner's at 7:25 off an assist from Landon Farrell (Rochester, Minn.) and Albergo's at 7:30, assisted by Jay Heinle (York, Pa.)—to grab a two-goal cushion.
 
Gustavus would pepper Saint Mary's goalie Jake Tugnutt (Peterborough, Ontario) with 13 second-period shots, finally getting one past the freshman netminder on a goal by Colin Hernon at 15:37 to cut the Cardinal lead to 2-1 heading into the third period.
 
And it was the Cardinals who would land another 1-2 punch—this one late in the final period—as Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.) and Albergo scored 1:12 apart in the game's final two minutes to ice the victory.
 
Tugnutt picked up the win in goal for Saint Mary's, kicking out 32 of the Gusties' 33 goals, while Erik Johnson finished with 32 saves in goal for Gustavus.
 
The Cardinals (6-6-1 MIAC, 9-11-2 overall) will look to complete the conference sweep when the two teams return to the ice on Saturday for a 7 p.m. rematch at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.