By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team returns to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals host UW-Superior in the second game of their two-game nonconference series. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-9-3 Overall) vs. UW-Superior Yellowjackets (4-7-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Night:
• December 7, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: UW-Superior scored three unanswered goals — one in the waning seconds of the second period and two in the third period — as the Yellowjackets, despite being outshot 41-21, handed the Cardinals a 5-2 nonconference setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Superior — A Year Ago:
• January 5, 2018 * Superior, Wis.: UW-Superior rattled off three unanswered goals — and scored six of the game's final eight goals — in dealing the Cardinals a 6-3 nonconference setback at Wessman Arena | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until Jan. 11-12, when they play host to Concordia for a pair of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contests at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena. Saint Mary's and CC will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11, before returning the following afternoon for a 2 p.m. rematch.
• UW-Superior: The Yellowjackets return to action Jan. 29-30, when they host the UW-Superior Tournament at Wessman Arena in Superior, Wis. UW-Superior will face Trinity at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29 and will face either Marian or St. Scholastica the following day.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018 Roster | 2018 Schedule | 2018 Statistics
• After playing 10 of their first 12 games on the road, Saturday's rematch against UW-Superior is the second of six straight home games for the Cardinals. … Friday's 5-2 loss to UW-Superior marked just the second time in 13 games that the contest wasn't decided by two goals or less — including eight decided by one goal or less and six that have gone into overtime. … The Cardinals' loss to UW-Superior also snapped a streak of three straight overtime games. … Last Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over Saint John's put an end to the Cardinals' season-opening 11-game winless streak (0-8-3). … The Cardinals equaled their season high with their four-goal effort against Saint John's last Saturday. Saint Mary's also scored four goals in a 4-4 tie against Lake Forest on Nov. 24. … Saint Mary's has now scored 13 goals in its last four games. … Jack Hatton (Naperville, Ill.) and Owen Sikich (Wolfeboro, N.H.) scored the Cardinals' two goals against UW-Superior Friday evening. … Hatton — who also had an assist vs. the Yellowjackets Friday — has now scored in three straight games. … Hatton is the third Cardinal to put together a three-game goal-scoring streak this season, joining Alex DiBacco (Darien, Ill.) and Tyson Liverance (Burford, Ontario). … Hatton and Liverance head into Saturday's rematch against UW-Superior sharing the team lead in goals with five each, one more than DiBacco and Tommy Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.). … Dylan Robertson (Alpharetta, Ga.) picked up his team-leading eight assist vs. UW-Superior Friday. Robertson now has three assists in his last two games. … Liverance is the team's points leader with nine, followed by Hatton, Tommy Stang, and Robertson with eight apiece. … Kyle Meeh (Fenton, Mo.) collected his first collegiate two-goal game with a pair of tallies 25 seconds apart in Saint Mary's 4-4 tie against Lake Forest on Nov. 24. … Liverance had a hand in all three goals — scoring once and assisting on the other two — in Saint Mary's 5-3 loss to St. Thomas on Nov. 3. … All three of the Cardinals' goals in their 3-3 tie against St. Thomas on Nov. 2 were scored by freshmen. Liverance picked up his first two collegiate goals, while Hatton scored the other. … Liverance and Hatton were at it again in the rematch with the Tommies on Nov. 3, as Liverance netted his third goal of the season and Hatton added his second in a Cardinal uniform. … Stoynich and have also scored their first collegiate goals this season. Stoynich netted his first goal in a Cardinal uniform against Augsburg on Nov. 16, while Sikich found the back of the net against Concordia on Oct. 27. … Saint Mary's has netted nine power-play goals this season, with Hatton leading the way with three, while Liverance, DiBacco, and Tommy Stang have all scored two each. … Nick Nast (Oxnard, Calif.) finished with 16 saves against UW-Superior Friday. … Nast owns four games of 30 or more saves this season. … Nast — who collected his first collegiate assist against Gustavus on Oct. 26 — heads into Saint Mary's nonconference rematch against UW-Superior with a 3.03 goals-against-average and a .895 save percentage. … Al Rogers (North Haven, Conn.) — who finished with a season- and career-high 43 saves against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 10 — boasts a 3.61 GAA and .897 save percentage. … Saint Mary's has scored 11 of its 29 goals in the third period. The Cardinals have found the back of the net seven times in the first period and 10 times in the second. On the flip side, the Cardinals have surrendered 44 goals through 13 games — including 16 in the second period and 17 in the third stanza. … The Cardinals have scored first in seven of their 13 games, going 1-4-2 in those seven contests. Saint Mary's is 0-5-1 when its opponent nets the game's first goal. … Six of Saint Mary's first 10 opponents were nationally ranked — including a 3-2 loss to No. 1 UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 9. Two of SMU's other four opponents — Concordia and Gustavus — both qualified for the MIAC Playoffs a year ago.
 
Scouting The UW-Superior Yellowjackets:
2018-19 Roster | 2018-19 Statistics | 2018-19 Schedule
• The Yellowjackets head into Saturday's rematch with Saint Mary's having already played five games against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — dropping decisions to Augsburg (3-1), Concordia (5-2), Gustavus (5-3), and St. Olaf (3-2), before beating the Cardinals 5-2 Friday night. … After going 1-5-1 in their first seven contests, the Yellowjackets are 3-1-1 in their last five. … UW-Superior snapped its season-high five-game losing streak with an 8-1 win over Finlandia on Nov. 17. … Jordan Martin had a goal and two assists against the Cardinals on Friday, while Martan Yelle, Artur Terchiyev, Daniel Litchke, and Will Blake netted the Yellowjackets other four goals. … Troy York and Andrew Durham head into Saturday's rematch against Saint Mary's sharing the team lead with eight goals each. … Troy MacTavish is the team's assist leader with eight, two more than York, Terchiyev, and Litchke. … York boasts a team-best 14 points. … York is one of four Yellowjackets with 10 or more points through the season's first 13 games — Durham (10), Chad Lopez (10), and Troy MacTavish (10) are the other three. … York and Jordan Martin have each scored two game-winning goals. … UW-Superior has scored 11 power-play goals this season, led by York with six. … UW-Superior has used three different goalies this season, led by A.J. Smith, who has compiled a 2.63 goals-against-average and .908 save percentage in nine starts. … Smith made 39 saves against Saint Mary's on Friday — including 22 in the first period. … Cole Skinner owns a 3.62 GAA and .831 save percentage in three starts, and Oscar Svensson carries a 3.94 GAA and .800 save percentage in two appearances, including one start … Smith leads the team with 236 saves. … UW-Superior has outscored its opponents 16-12 in the second period, but the Yellowjackets have been outscored 12-9 in the first period and 16-14 in the third. … The Yellowjackets have scored four or more goals in each of their four wins — including a season-high eight goals in routing Finlandia 8-1 on Nov. 17. On the flip side, UW-Superior has been held to two goals or less in five of its seven losses. … UW-Superior has played three overtime games this season — falling to St. Olaf 3-2, while tying Lake Forest (3-3) and UW-Stout (1-1). … The Yellowjackets have scored first in six of their 13 games, going 4-2-0. UW-Superior is winless (0-5-2) when its opponent scores first.