By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was a battle of quality vs. quantity for the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team in its conference showdown against Hamline Friday evening.
 
The Cardinals had the quantity, outshooting the Pipers 36-16, but Hamline owned the quality, scoring a pair of unanswered goals — including the game-winner six minutes into the third period, as HU dealt SMU a 2-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at TRIA Rink.
 
After a scoreless first period — and nearly 15 minutes of shutout hockey in the second — Ryan Stoynich (Calgary, Alberta) finally broke the ice for the Cardinals, scoring at 14:42 off assists from Tommy Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Trevor Wilhelm (St. Louis, Mo.).
 
The lead, however, did not even last two minutes, as the Pipers quickly answered Stoynich's tally with one of their own, getting the equalizer from Riley Meyer at 16:34 — leaving the teams once again deadlocked heading into the game's final 20 minutes of regulation.
 
A period in which Saint Mary's held a 12-6 advantage in shots on goal, only to have the Pipers make the most of one of their six shots, scoring what proved to be the game-winner — this one off the stick of Bailey Martin — 6:40 into the third period.
 
Kevin Lake stopped 35 of the Cardinals' 36 shots on goal — including 14 in the second period and 12 in the third — while Al Rogers (New Haven, Conn.) recorded 14 saves between the pipes for the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals 5-6-0 MIAC, 7-10-1 overall) and Pipers (3-7-3 MIAC, 5-13-4 overall) return to action on Saturday night, heading to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for the second game of the teams' two-game MIAC series. Opening face-off is set for 7 p.m.