WINONA, Minn. — When the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team faces St. Thomas, one thing has become blatantly obvious—the game is going to be a nailbiter.
 
For the sixth time in the teams' last seven meetings, Saturday evening's showdown between the top two teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference leaders was decided by one goal or less.
 
And for the third time in their three meetings this season, Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) came through when the Cardinals needed him most.
 
Kinne—who scored with 26 seconds left to lift the Cardinals to a 3-3 tie against the Tommies at the season-opening MIAC Hockey Showcase, and forced overtime in Friday evening's heartbreaking 6-5 loss to the Tommies—was at it again Saturday.
 
The senior assisted on the Cardinals' first goal of the evening, then scored what proved to be the game-winner midway through the second period in lifting the Cardinals to a 2-1 victory and a split in their two-game MIAC series.
 
"That was a great team win," said Saint Mary's coach Bill Moore. "I was really proud of the way the guys responded after last night's loss. I thought we played our best game, system-wise, of the season tonight."
 
The Tommies broke through first, as Cullen Willox rifled a shot from the slot over the shoulder of Saint Mary's goalie Aaron Davis (Mound, Minn.) at 12:26 of the opening period.
 
The UST lead did not last long, however—47 seconds to be exact.
 
Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) netted the equalizer for the Cardinals, scoring his second of the season off assists from Kinne and Jay Heinle (York, Pa.).
 
The game would remain deadlock until midway through the second period, when Kinne—off a feed from Heinle—ripped a shot between the pads of UST goalie Benjamin Myers for his team-leading 10^th goal of the season.
 
And with Davis proving to be a perfect imitation of a brick wall following Willox's first-period goal, the Cardinals made that one-goal advantage stand up.
 
Davis, making his fifth start between the pipes for the Cardinals, finished with 24 saves—including 11 in the second period and 10 more in the third. Myers, meanwhile, finished with 29 saves for the Tommies.
 
The Cardinals (5-3-0 MIAC, 8-5-2 overall) step out of conference play for the final time next weekend, heading to K.B. Willett Arena in Stevens Point, Wis., next Friday for a 7 p.m. contest against UW-Stevens Point, before traveling to Dunn County Ice Arena in Menomonie, Wis., to face UW-Stout in a 7:30 p.m. matchup a day later.