Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

WINONA, Minn. — After managing just a combined three goals through the first two periods of Saturday's nonconference game, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and UW-Eau Claire men's hockey teams decided to turn up the offensive heat in the third period.
 
Way up.
 
The two teams combined for six goals over the game's final 20 minutes, and—unfortunately for the Cardinals—when the dust finally settled, it was the Blugolds who escaped with the win.
 
Jesse Tredinnick scored his second goal of the game with 5:28 remaining in regulation to break a 4-4 tie and lift the 11th-ranked Blugolds to a 5-4 victory over the Cardinals at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The two teams traded goals the entire night—the Blugolds scored first, and never led by more than one, and never trailed.
 
UW-Eau Claire opened the scoring at 6:26 of the first period on a goal by Lucas Kohls. The Blugold lead lasted just 52 seconds, however, as Saint Mary's answered on Jack Stang's (Mendota Heights, Minn.) second goal of the season.
 
The Blugolds would score the only goal of the second period on an unassisted tally by Jake Bresser at 12:32, as UW-Eau Claire took a 2-1 advantage into the game's final 20 minutes.
 
And what a final 20 minutes it turned out to be.
 
Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) netted his first of the season—and first of his two third-period goals—just two minutes into the period to pull Saint Mary's even 2-2.
 
Nathan Dingmann gave the lead back to UW-Eau Claire at 5:35, only to have Stang answer two minutes later with his second of the game to make it 3-3.
 
Tredinnick and Cesarz traded goals less than a minute apart midway through the period, and Tredinnick netted his second of the game on the power play at 14:32 to give the Blugolds the victory.
 
Nick Nast (Oxnard, Calif.)—making his first collegiate start in goal for the Cardinals—finished with 41 saves, while Camden Haugenoe stopped 17 of Saint Mary's 21 shots on goal.
 
The Cardinals (2-3-1 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, hosting Augsburg in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Friday, before heading to Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis, Minn., for the 7 p.m. rematch a day later.