WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team steps out of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals entertain UW-Stevens Point in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-1-1 Overall) vs. UW-Stevens Point Pointers (3-1-0 Overall)
 
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• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—November 3-4, 2017 * Winona, Minn./Mendota Heights, Minn.: The Cardinals collected five of a possible six conference points in its weekend series against St. Thomas. Saint Mary's got to a pair of goals from Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) in a 4-1 win at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena last Friday, while Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.) scored with less than four minutes remaining as the Cardinals earned a 1-1 tie—and a 1-0 shootout win—in the rematch the following day at the St. Thomas Ice Arena | UST Recap 1 * UST Recap 2
• UW-Stevens Point—November 3-4, 2017 * Stevens Point, Wis.: The Pointers split their two nonconference home games last weekend at K.B. Willett Arena, falling to Hamline 2-1 last Friday, while bouncing back with a 6-3 victory over Bethel the following evening | HU Recap * BU Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Stevens Point—Their Last Meeting:
• January 13, 2017 * Stevens Point, Wis.: Just a week after earning a well-deserved split against league-leading St. Thomas—a team that was ranked No. 15 in the nation and had not lost a conference game prior to falling to Saint Mary's 2-1—the Cardinals were back on the ice, squaring off against UW-Stevens Point. The nation's third-ranked team—and the defending national champions. And the Cardinals showed the defending national champs about as much love as they did the Tommies last Saturday, getting two goals from both Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) and Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) in dealing the Pointers a 4-2 nonconference setback at K.B. Willett Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on their home ice at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Saturday, hosting UW-Eau Claire in a 7 p.m. nonconference game.
• UW-Stevens Point: The Pointers head to Mendota Heights, Minn., on Saturday, squaring off against St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. nonconference contest at St. Thomas Ice Arena.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Friday's game against UW-Stevens Point is the first of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who play eight of their next nine games on their home ice. … Saint Mary's 1-1 tie with St. Thomas last Saturday was its first overtime game of the season. The Cardinals played eight OT games a year ago, going 1-4-3. … The Cardinals held St. Thomas to a single goal in both games last weekend. Saint Mary's has now limited its first four opponents to just one goal. … The Cardinals are now 11-1-1 in the last 13 games in which they limit their opponent to two goals or less. … With their win and tie vs. St. Thomas, the Cardinals are now 3-3-3 in their last nine meetings with the Tommies. … Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) scored a pair of goals against St. Thomas Friday—and added the shootout winner vs. the Tommies last Saturday. … Jude Warner (Pickerington, Ohio) and Jack Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) netted Saint Mary's other two goals vs. the Tommies last Friday, while Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.) scored the Cardinals' goal in their 1-1 tie vs. UST the following day. … Stang's third-period empty net goal against St. Thomas last Saturday was the first of his collegiate career. … Stang is the second Cardinal to score his first goal of his collegiate career this season—Ben Owen (Allen, Texas) scored in Saint Mary's 3-1 win over Bethel last Saturday. … Heinle leads the team in both goals (3) and points (4). … The Cardinals' seven assists through four games have come from seven different players—Heinle, Walz, Warner, Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.), Alex DiBacco (Darien, Ill.), Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.), and Dylan Robertson (Alpharetta, Ga.). … Aaron Davis (Mound, Minn.)—who stopped 51 of the 53 shots he faced in the Cardinals' two MIAC Hockey Showcase games last weekend—finished with 25 saves in both games against St. Thomas last weekend. … Davis has started all four games in goal for the Cardinals, compiling a 0.99 goals-against-average and .962 save percentage. … Davis picked up his first collegiate shutout, making 31 saves in a 2-0 win over Gustavus on Feb. 4, 2017, while stopping 28 shots en route to his first win as a Cardinal on Nov. 5, 2016. … Saint Mary's scored more empty net goals against St. Thomas last Friday (2) than the Cardinals netted all of last season (1). … Saint Mary's has not scored a goal in the first period this season, while netting four goals in both the second and third periods. The Cardinals' opponents, meanwhile, have tallied two of their four goals in the game's opening 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's is unbeaten (2-0-0) when scoring first, while going 0-1-1 when its opponent scores the game's opening goal. … The Cardinals made their second MIAC Playoff appearance in the last three seasons a year ago, falling to eventual playoff champion Augsburg 5-4 in overtime in the semifinals. Saint Mary's reached the MIAC Playoff championship game in 2015, falling to Hamline 4-2.
 
Scouting The UW-Stevens Point Pointers:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• The Pointers, ranked No. 3 in the USCHO.com Poll prior to last weekend's split vs. Hamline and Bethel, dropped to No. 6 in this week's poll. The Pointers are also ranked No. 5 in the latest D3hockey.com Poll. … Last weekend's games against Hamline and Bethel were the first home contests of the season for the Pointers, who play four of their first six games on the road. … Friday's game against Saint Mary's is the third straight game against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference—and the third of eight contests against the MIAC this season. … UW-Stevens Point is 1-1-0 vs. the MIAC thus far, falling to Hamline (2-1) and beating Bethel (6-3). … Zach Zech scored UW-SP's lone goal in last Friday's 2-1 loss to Hamline, while Carter Roo scored twice, and Logan Fredericks, Brennen Miller, Steven Quagliate, and Luke McElhenie netted the Pointers other four goals in their 6-3 win over Bethel. … McElhenie and Tanner Karty enter Friday's nonconference game against Saint Mary's sharing the team lead in goals with three each—one more than Roo. … Karty is also the team-leader in assists (4) and points (7). … William Nong-Lambert and Colin Raver are both second to Karty in both assists (3) and points (4). … McElhenie owns two of UW-Stevens Point's three game-winning goals, with Karty scoring the other. … Max Milosek and Connor Ryckman have shared the goaltending duties through four games. Milosek boasts a 1.52 goals-against-average and a .914 save percentage in two starts, while Ryckman has compiled a 2.51 GAA and .896 save percentage in his two starts. … UW-Stevens Point has outscored its first four opponents 16-8—including 7-4 in the second period and 7-3 in the third. … The Pointers have scored first in all three of their wins, while UW-SP's opponent (Hamline) scored first in the Pointers' lone loss.