By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
OSWEGO, N.Y. — When the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team took the ice Friday for their Pathfinder/Oswego State Hockey Classic matchup against host Oswego State, it marked the first time in program history the Cardinals had faced off against the Lakers.
 
And if Friday's end result was any indication, the Lakers probably aren't too eager to face the Cardinals a second time.
 
Saint Mary's scored the game's only goal late in the first period and Al Rogers (New Haven, Conn.) made that goal stand up, stopping all 30 Oswego State shots en route to his first collegiate shutout, leading the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory over the 10th-ranked Lakers.
 
The Cardinals struck first — but waited until the final seconds of the first period to do so.
 
Tommy Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) netted the only goal of the first period — off assists from Ryan Stoynich (Calgary, Alberta) and Jack Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) — with just 18 seconds remaining in the game's opening 20 minutes.
 
And with Rogers between the pipes, that one goal would be all the Cardinals would need.
 
The junior netminder kicked out all eight Laker shots in the first period, and followed that up with 11-save efforts in both the second and third periods in sealing his first collegiate shutout.
 
The Cardinals (4-5-1 overall) will now face No. 14 Williams (7-2-0 overall) — which knocked off No. 9 University of New England 2-1 in its tournament-opener earlier Friday evening — in Saturday's championship game. Opening face-off is set for 4 p.m. (EST).