By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team kicks off MIAC play on Friday, heading to the Moorhead Sports Center for the first of two contests against Concordia. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-0 MIAC, 0-3-1 Overall) at Concordia Cobbers (0-0-0 MIAC, 1-3-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­—November 8-9, 2019 * Superior, Wis./Eau Claire, Wis.: The Cardinals dropped both of their nonconference games against WIAC foes last weekend, falling to UW-Superior 7-0 last Friday at Wessman Arena, while surrendering four third-period goals in dropping a 5-2 decision to No. 12 UW-Eau Claire at Hobbs Ice Arena the following evening | UWS Recap * UWEC Recap
• Concordia—November 8-9, 2019 * River Falls, Wis.: The Cobbers split their two nonconference games against UW-River Falls last weekend at W.H. Hunt Arena, beating the Falcons 3-2 in the opener on Friday, before falling 4-1 in the nightcap the following evening | UWRF Recap 1 * UWRF Recap 2
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
• October 27, 2018 * Schwan's Super Rink * Blaine, Minn.: Concordia scored the game-winning goal three minutes into overtime, handing Saint Mary's a 4-3 setback during the second day of the MIAC Hockey Showcase | Recap
• January 11, 2019 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: Concordia scored a pair of third-period goals — including an empty-netter with 50 seconds remaining — to hand the Cardinals a 5-3 MIAC setback | Recap
• January 12, 2019 * Saint Mary's Ice Arena * Winona, Minn.: Ryan Stoynich (Calgary, Alberta) scored twice, as the Cardinals erupted for a season-high seven goals in routing the Cobbers 7-2 — and dealing Concordia its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss of the season | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The Cardinals and Cobbers return to the Moorhead Sports Center on Saturday, as the two teams square off in the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• This weekend's games at Concordia are the third and fourth consecutive road contests for the Cardinals, who finished 3-10-3 away from the Saint Mary's Ice Arena a year ago. … Tommy Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) had a hand in both of the Cardinals' goals in last Saturday's 5-2 loss to No. 12 UW-Eau Claire, assisting on SMU's first-period tally, while scoring his first of the season in the third period. … Sam Schultz (Lakeland, Minn.) accounted for the Cardinals' other goal vs. UW-Eau Claire last Saturday — it was the first of his collegiate career. … Thomas Magnavite (Chicago, Ill.) recorded his first — and second — collegiate goals in the Cardinals' 3-3 tie against Lake Forest on Nov. 1. … Trevor Wilhelm (St. Louis, Mo.) has also netted his first collegiate goal this season, scoring one of SMU's four goals in its 4-3 loss to Lake Forest on Nov. 2. … Jack Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) posted his first three-point game of the season against Lake Forest on Nov. 2, scoring once and assisting on the Cardinals' other two goals in the 4-3 loss. … Jack Stang enters this weekend's conference matchups against Concordia leading the team in both assists (4) and points (5). … Magnavite owns the team lead in goals with two, while Tommy Stang, Jack Stang, Schultz, Wilhelm, Kyle Meeh (Fenton, Mo.), and Owen Sikich (Wolfeboro, N.H.) have netted Saint Mary's other six goals. … Nick Nast (Oxnard, Calif.) finished with 22 saves against UW-Superior last Friday, while Al Rogers (North Haven, Conn.) 32 saves — nine in relief against UW-Superior last Friday and 23 in his first start of the season against UW-Eau Claire the following day. … Parker Swanson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) stopped all seven shots he faced in relief of Rogers against UW-Eau Claire last Saturday — it was his first collegiate appearance in goal. … Nast heads into the weekend with a 4.67 goals-against-average and an .866 save percentage, while Rogers owns a 5.49 GAA and .842 save percentage. … With his 38-save effort against Lake Forest on Nov. 1, Nast has now stopped 30 or more shots eight times in the last two seasons. … Five of the Cardinals' eight goals this season have been scored in the first period. On the flip side, 10 of Saint Mary's opponents' 19 goals have come in the game's final 20 minutes. … With their season-opening 3-3 tie and 4-3 loss against Lake Forest last weekend, the Cardinals have now played 10 games decided by one goal or less — including seven that have gone into overtime — over the past two seasons. … The Cardinals — picked to finish sixth in the MIAC Preseason Coaches Poll — made their third MIAC Tournament appearance in the last five years a year ago. The Cardinals kicked off post-season play with a 5-2 win over Concordia, before falling to Augsburg 8-1 in the semifinals.
 
Scouting The Concordia Cobbers:
2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | 2019-20 Statistics
• This weekend's games against Saint Mary's are the first home games of the season for the Cobbers, who opened the season with four straight road contests. … The Cobbers snapped their season-opening two-game losing streak with last Friday's 3-2 win over UW-River Falls. … The Cobbers scored as many goals in their 3-2 win over UW-River Falls last Friday as they have in their other three games combined. … Tyler Bossert and Aaron Ryback have each scored two goals to account for four of the team's six goals this season. Blake Berg and Christian Cakebreak own CC's other two goals. … Bossert also shares the team lead in assists (2) with Beau Wilmer, while Bossert also leads the team with four points. … Three of Concordia's six goals have come on special teams — two power-play goals and one shorthanded tally. … The Cobbers have used three different goalies through the first four games of the season. Jacob Stephan (3.03 GAA, .870 save percentage) has made two starts, while Gabe Holum (2.00 GAA, .905 save %) and Cam Haugenoe (4.00 GAA, .886 save %) have each made one start. … Stephan has made a team-high 40 saves, with Haugenoe boasting 31 saves and Holum has made 19. …   Concordia has scored three of its six goals in the second period. CC's opponents, meanwhile, have netted six of their 13 goals in the game's final 20 minutes. … The Cobbers are 1-2-0 when their opponent scores the game's first goal. … CC is 0-3-0 when trailing after two periods.