By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals head to the Moorhead Sports Center for a 7 p.m. showdown with Concordia
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-4-1 MIAC, 3-9-2 Overall) at Concordia Cobbers (3-2-1 MIAC, 6-6-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—January 5, 2018 * Superior, Wis.: The Cardinals scored first, but UW-Superior rattled off three unanswered goals and scored six of the game's final eight in dealing Saint Mary's a 6-3 nonconference setback at Wessman Arena | Recap
• Concordia—January 5-6, 2018 * Stevens Point, Wis./Eau Claire, Wis.: The Cobbers dropped a pair of one-goal nonconference losses, falling to UW-Stevens Point 3-2 last Friday at K.B. Willett Arena, before suffering a 2-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire the following day at Hobbs Ice Arena | UWSP Recap * UWEC Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia—A Year Ago:
• October 30, 2016 * Blaine, Minn.: Two days after battling St. Thomas to a 3-3 stalemate in the first day of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Hockey Showcase, the Cardinals were once again deadlocked at the end of regulation—this time knotted at 2-2 against Concordia. Less than two minutes into the extra session, however, the Cobbers' Zach Doerring corralled a loose puck and put it past Saint Mary's goalie Aaron Davis (Mound, Minn.), as Concordia handed the Cardinals a 3-2 nonconference setback | Recap
• December 2, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: The Cobbers erupted for three third-period goals, breaking open a one-goal game and handing the Cardinals their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback of the season—a 5-1 decision at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• December 3, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Concordia scored a pair of goals in the second period and held Saint Mary's off the scoreboard over the game's final 20 minutes in handing the Cardinals their second straight MIAC loss, a 3-2 setback, at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Cobbers return to the Moorhead Sports Center on Saturday for the second game of their two-game conference series. Opening faceoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Friday's game against Concordia is the second of five consecutive road games for the Cardinals, who do not play a home contest until Jan. 27 against Gustavus. Saint Mary's played nine of its first 13 contests at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. … Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) had a goal and an assist in the Cardinals' 6-3 loss to UW-Superior last Friday, while Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) and Michael Cimba (Wilmette, Ill.) netted Saint Mary's other two goals. … Cesarz has now scored goals in back-to-back games. … With their goals vs. UW-Superior last Friday, Heinle and Cesarz moved into a tie for the team lead (4) with Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.) and Jack Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.). … Heinle is the team-leader in assists with seven and points with 10. … Heinle, Stang, and Ben Owen (Allen, Texas) own the Cardinals' three game-winning goals. … Saint Mary's has scored seven power play goals—two from Johnson, Cesarz, and Wasell, and one from Owen. … Cesarz and Johnson own the Cardinals' two shorthanded goals. … Saint Mary's boasts three players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season—Stang, Owen, and Luke Seper (Lakeville, Minn.). Seper netted his first goal as a Cardinals against Saint John's on Dec. 2; Stang's came against St. Thomas on Nov. 3, while Owen's was against Bethel on Oct. 29. … Johnson picked up a pair of multiple-point games against Lake Forest on Nov. 24-25, scoring twice in Saint Mary's 6-3 loss on Nov. 24 and adding a goal and an assist in the Cardinals' 4-2 win the following night in the teams' rematch. … Kelvin Walz (Woodbury, Minn.) collected assists on all three of the Cardinals' goals against Lake Forest on Nov. 24. It was the second time in his collegiate career that he has recorded three assists in a game. … Owen and Austin Arnold (Anchorage, Alaska) each recorded their first collegiate multiple-point games against Lake Forest on Nov. 25—Owen added two assists to his second-period goal, while Arnold notched a pair of assists. … Stang and Cesarz each scored twice in Saint Mary's 5-4 loss to No. 11 UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 11. Cesarz's two-goal effort against UW-Eau Claire was his sixth career multiple-goal game—including five two-goal showings—while Stang's was the first of his collegiate career. … Stang also delivered a pair of assists against the Blugolds on Nov. 11 en route to his first collegiate four-point game. … Al Rogers (North Haven, Conn.) notched his first career win—in his first collegiate start—stopping 37 of the 39 shots in faced in the Cardinals' 4-2 win over Lake Forest on Nov. 25. … Nick Nast (Oxnard, Calif.) made his first collegiate start in goal in the Cardinals' 5-4 loss to UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 11, finishing with 41 saves. … Aaron Davis (Mound, Minn.) has started nine of the team's 14 games in goal, compiling a 3.55 goals-against-average and .867 save percentage, while Nast boasts a 4.73 GAA and .860 save percentage, and Rogers owns a 2.67 GAA and .904 save percentage. … Davis earned 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 2-2 tie against Lawrence on Dec. 6 was the Cardinals' second overtime game of the season—with both ending in a tie. Saint Mary's and St. Thomas skated to a 1-1 deadlock on Nov. 4. … The Cardinals are 12-1-2 in the last 15 games in which they limit their opponent to two goals or less. … With their 4-2 win over Lake Forest on Nov. 25, Saint Mary's snapped its season-high five-game losing streak. … Saint Mary's has scored 15 its goals 29 goals in the third period. … Saint Mary's has been outscored 15-3 in the first period and 18-11 in the second. … Saint Mary's is 2-2-0 when scoring first, while going 1-7-2 when its opponent scores the game's opening goal. … Saint Mary's 1-1 tie with St. Thomas on Nov. 4 was its first overtime game of the season. The Cardinals played eight OT games a year ago, going 1-4-3. … The Cardinals held each of their first four opponents to just one goal.
 
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• Concordia's game against Saint Mary's Friday is the Cobbers' first home game since beating Bethel 2-1 on Nov. 18. CC has played its last eight games on the road, where the Cobbers own a 3-4-1 record. … Concordia's last three games have all been decided by one goal—the Cobbers beat Milwaukee School of Engineering (4-3), before falling to UW-Stevens Point (3-2) and UW-Eau Claire (2-1). … Ten of Concordia's 15 games have been decided by one goal or less. … Matt Bianchi enters this weekend's two-game MIAC series against Saint Mary's leading the team in points with 17. Bianchi is one of three Cobbers with 14 or more points—Zach Doerring (14) and Jon Grebosky (14) are the others. … Doerring is the team-leader with nine goals, while Bianchi and Grebosky share the team lead with 11 assists each. … Three of Doerring's nine goals have come on the power play. … Concordia has not scored a shorthanded goal this season. … The Cobbers' six game-winningConcordia' goals have come from six different players—Bianchi, Doerring, Quinn Fuchs, Jake Ellingson, Bryan Kronberger, and Zak Lambrecht. … Concordia's 42 goals have come from 15 different players, while 23 Cobbers have recorded at least one point. … Jacob Stephan and Sam Nelson have shared the goaltending duties for the Cobbers. Stephan owns a 2.27 goals-against-average and .916 save percentage in nine appearances, while Nelson boasts a 3.04 GAA and .904 save percentage in seven games. … Stephan has made 206 saves, while Nelson is close behind with 197. … Concordia has played four overtime games this season, going 1-0-3. CC beat Milwaukee School of Engineering in OT on Dec. 30, while tying Gustavus (1-1), UW-River Falls (3-3), and Hamline (7-7). … The Cobbers rallied from a 7-2 deficit in their 7-7 tie against Hamline on Dec. 9. It was the largest deficit overcome for a win or a tie in program history. … Concordia has scored first in 10 of its 15 games this season. CC is 6-3-1 when netting the game's first goal, while going 0-3-2 when its opponent scores first.