MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Two years ago, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team squared off against Concordia in the semifinals of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoffs—and the Cardinals needed double-overtime to dispatch of the Cobbers.
 
Saturday evening, the Cardinals were back in the conference playoff semifinals, squaring off against Augsburg—with a berth to the MIAC Playoff Championship game awaiting the victor.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, this time around, there would be no need for double-overtime dramatics. Instead, the two teams needed a single overtime period to determine a victor, after ending regulation with the score knotted at 4-4. Sadly for Saint Mary's, it was the Auggies who managed to strike first and win the game by a score of 5-4.
 
Despite the final score, the Cardinals never trailed in the game until it was too late. In fact, Saint Mary's took an early 2-0 lead halfway through the first period thanks to strong offensive play from everyone on the ice. Kyle Meeh gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game with a slap shot goal from the left circle before senior Bob Kinne extended Saint Mary's lead to 2-0 with a back door wrist shot at 11:37.
 
Augsburg did strike with under five minutes remaining in the first period, cutting Saint Mary's lead to 2-1. However, the Cardinals entered the locker room after the first period with a 2-1 lead over the Auggies, the No. 11 ranked team in the country in the latest polls. The second period, though, didn't get off to the hottest start for Saint Mary's, as Kinne was sent to the box for slashing 45 seconds in. That, though, was a blessing in disguise for the Cardinals, who not only killed the penalty successfully but also added to their lead in the process, as Taylor Portner scored a shorthanded goal to extend Saint Mary's lead to 3-1.
 
Unfortunately, the Auggies went ahead and scored two unanswered goals, evening the score at 3-3 by the end of the second period. Fortunately, Portner had an answer at the start of the third, as he scored his second goal of the game to put the Cardinals ahead 4-3. However, Portner scored that goal at 1:14 in the final period, leaving Augsburg plenty of time to even the score. For 13 minutes, the Auggies peppered Saint Mary's starting goalie Phil Heinle with shots, and the senior saved every one. However, at 6:33, a scrum broke out in front of the net, and Augsburg's Chris Nuth managed to sneak one past a diving Heinle to once again tie the game, this time at 4-4.
 
After Augsburg's goal, the Cardinals and Auggies were forced to clear the ice as one of the glass boards shattered during the goal celebration. Twenty-five minutes later, the Saint Mary's fans were hoping the break would help the team the same way the rain delay helped the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. It did in the sense that Heinle shut out the Auggies in the final minutes of the period, but Saint Mary's was also unable to capitalize on its offensive chances.
At the end of regulation, the score was knotted 4-4, and the Cardinals found themselves in familiar territory. With a trip to the MIAC Hockey Championship on the line, Saint Mary's came out firing on all cylinders to start the overtime period and created a scoring opportunity just one minute into the extra time. Unfortunately, the Augsburg defense made a crucial block, preventing the Cardinals from scoring the game-winner. On the very next play, a defensive miscue during a line change left Auggie top-scorer Nate Flynn alone at the top of the right circle in Saint Mary's zone. Flynn took the shot and the Cardinals could do nothing but watch as his shot hit off the left corner of the net into the back of the net.
 
Heinle faced 29 shots in 61:56 minutes of work and made 24 saves, while Portner lead the team with two goals and an assist.
 
With the loss, Saint Mary's spectacular season comes to an end. The team finishes the season with a 13-10-3 record overall and a 9-6-1 mark in MIAC play.