WINONA, Minn. — Rapid-fire scoring early in the game seemed to set the tone for the night — unfortunately, the scoring advantage went to Augsburg, as the Auggies dealt the Saint Mary's University  men's hockey team a 4-2 conference loss Friday at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The Auggies, who entered the game ranked No. 5 in the latest USCHO.com Top 15,  did not hesitate to take an early — and hefty — lead. 
 
Scoring twice in the first three minutes, Augsburg grabbed a quick 2-0 lead. Kyler Yeo netted a third goal for the Auggies at 13:36, giving Augsburg a sizable 3-0 lead by the end of the first period. 
 
And the score would remain  frozen at 3-0 through the second period, with neither team able to find the net — despite 15 shots on goal by Augsburg and nine by Saint Mary's.
 
The lone goal in the third period would again go to the Auggies, as Vincent Weis found the back of the net two minutes into the third period to seal Augsburg's 4-0 victory.
 
The Cardinals had a golden opportunity to cut into Augsburg's 4-0 lead on a two-minute, 5-on-3 man advantage late in the third. SMU would pepper Auggie goalie Sam Vyteleka with five shots during the two-minute power-play, but came up empty each time.
 
SMU goaltender Matt Sankner (Pennington, N.J.) made a career-high 45 saves in goal, in relief of starter A.J. Ruskowski (Traverse City, Mich.).
 
Laudon Poellinger (La Crescent, Minn.) led the Cardinals in shots on goal with five, while Colin Tushie (Prior Lake, Minn.) and Trevor Schroder (Des Moines, Iowa) followed close behind with three each.
 
The Cardinals (1-2-0 MIAC, 1-5-1 overall) will face off against the Auggies once again on Saturday, as the two teams head to Augsburg's Ed Saugestad Arena in Minneapolis,Minn., for the 7 p.m. rematch.
 
 
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