SAINT MARY'S CARDINALS 

(4-5-0 MIAC, 7-11-1 Overall)

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AUGSBURG AUGGIES

(12-1-0 MIAC, 20-2-0 Overall)

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LAST NIGHT:

Feb. 11, 2022

L, 5-4 * Series History

SAINT MARY'S UP NEXT:

Feb. 18, 2022 * Bethel * 7:00

SMU Ice Arena * Winona, MN

Feb. 19, 2022 * Bethel * 7:00

Bethel Arena * Blaine, MN

AUGSBURG UP NEXT: 

Feb. 18, 2022 * St. John’s * 7:00

Ed Saugestad Arena * Minneapolis, MN

Feb. 19, 2022 * St. John’s * 7:00

National Hockey Center * St. Cloud, MN

• FOR THE RECORD: Saint Mary’s enters the second game of its two-game series against Augsburg sitting at 7-11-1 overall, including a 4-5-0 record in conference play

• LAST NIGHT: The Cardinals came up one goal short in their upset bid against fourth-ranked Augsburg, as the Auggies scored two late-third period goals in beating Saint Mary’s 5-4 in Minneapolis, Minn.

• SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Cardinals’ eight goals in their last two games — four against Gustavus last Tuesday and four vs. Augsburg on Friday — have come from eight different players. Ryan Stoynich (Calgary, Alberta), Jack Hatton (Naperville, Ill.), Brady Lindauer (Cary, Ill.), and Nick Kiemel (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored against the Gusties last Tuesday, while Nathan Solis (Saline, Mich.), Warner Young (Newberry, Mich.), Gabe Potyk (Lake Orion, Mich.), and Callahan Nauss (Wayzata, Minn.) netted SMU’s four goals against Augsburg on Friday.

• SPREADING THE WEALTH, PART II: Saint Mary’s 10 points against the Auggies Friday night — four goals and six assists — came to from 10 different players.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: With his goal against Augsburg Friday, Potyk moved into a tie for the team lead in goals (5) with Bud Winter (St. Louis, Mo.). Stoynich, Laudon Poellinger (La Crescent, Minn.) and Brady Lindauer (Cary, Ill.) have all scored four times, while Nick Kiemel, Trevor Schroder (Des Moines, Iowa) and Kasyn Kruse (Luverne, Minn.) have all chipped in three goals.

• FIRST AS A CARDINAL: The Cardinals boast eight players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season — Nauss, Young, Kruse, Poellinger, Potyk, Hutton, Solis, Trevor Paradise (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Kellen Tharaldson (Wausau, Wis.).

• LENDING A HAND: The Cardinals had three players — Matt Hutton (Carmel, Ind.), Tyson Liverance (Burford, Ontario), Alex Cannon (South Bend, Ind.) pick up two assists in SMU’s 4-1 win over Gustavus Tuesday. SMU has now had five players with a multiple-assist game in two of its last four contests — Nauss recorded a career-high four assists and Kellen Tharaldson chipped in a pair of helpers in SMU’s 4-1 win over Hamline on Jan. 21.

• LENDING A HAND, TAKE 2: With his two helpers against Gustavus on Tuesday and another against Augsburg on Friday, Hutton moved into the team lead with nine assists, two more than Lindauer and Schroder, while Nauss and Tharaldson each have six helpers.

• GIVING AN ASSIST x 4: Nauss’ four assists against Hamline on Jan. 21 marked the first time Saint Mary’s has had a player record four helpers in a game since Jack Stang achieved the feat against Augsburg on Jan. 31, 2020. 

• POINT PRODUCERS: Lindauer and Hutton moved into a tie for the team lead in points with 11 each, followed by Schroder with 10 and Stoynich with nine.

• NETTING THE GAME-WINNER: Saint Mary’s seven game-winning goals this season have come from seven different players — Hutton, Poellinger, Schroder, Stoynich, Kruse, Potyk, and Liverance.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Matt Sankner (Pennington, N.J.) made 26 saves in earning the win against Gustavus Tuesday, while stopping 27 shots against the Auggies three nights later. Sankner owns a 2.97 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage in 12 appearances. Sankner, who recorded his first collegiate win with a career-high 35-save effort against Saint John’s on Nov. 18, equaled that career-high with 35 saves against MSOE on Dec. 7. Sankner has stopped 30 or more shots four times this season.… Connor Close (Des Moines, Iowa) recorded a season-high 32-save showing in the Cardinals’ 2-1 loss to Hamline on Jan. 22. Close — who collected his first collegiate win against UW-River Falls on Jan. 15 — enters the weekend with a 1.51 goals-against-average and a .940 save percentage. … A.J. Ruskowski (Traverse City, Mich.) notched his first collegiate win on Nov. 5, making 28 saves in SMU’s 4-3 win over UW-Superior. Ruskowski followed up that effort by stopping a career-best 43 shots in the Cardinals’ 4-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire the following evening. … Ruskowski owns a 4.57 GAA and an .860 save percentage.

• AS A TEAM: The Cardinals have scored 47 goals through their first 19 games, including 10 on the power-play. Saint Mary’s has scored a season-high four goals five times this season — beating Gustavus 4-1 on Tuesday, Hamline 4-2 on Jan. 21, UW-Superior 4-3 on Nov. 5, and St. Olaf 4-1 on Dec. 3; and falling to Augsburg 5-4 on Friday.

• FIRST-GOAL SUCCESS: In 15 of Saint Mary’s 19 games this season, the team that has scored first has gone on to win. The Cardinals are 5-1-0 when scoring first, while going 2-10-1 when their opponent nets the game’s first goal.

• WORKING OVERTIME: The Cardinals’ 3-3 tie against Lawrence on Nov. 23 was third OT contest this season. SMU dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Saint John’s on Nov. 20, while falling 4-3 in OT to Lake Forest in its season-opener on Nov. Oct. 29.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Auggies enter Saturday’s rematch against Saint Mary’s sitting atop the conference standings with a near-perfect 11-1-0 MIAC record as part of a 19-2-0 overall mark.

• LAST NIGHT: The Auggies rallied from a third-period deficit, getting back-to-back goals from Nick Woodward and Austin Martinsen less than two minutes apart late in the third period to give Augsburg the 5-4 win over Saint Mary’s in Minneapolis, Minn. 

• IN THE POLLS: The Auggies are sitting fourth in the latest USCHO.com Poll. Adrian (2-1) holds down the No. 1 spot , followed by Utica (19-2-0), Geneseo (18-2-1), and Augsburg (19-2-0).

• ON A ROLL: Fueled by their come-from-behind win over Saint Mary’s, Augsburg enters its second game of its two-game series against Saint Mary’s riding an 11-game winning streak. The Auggies have not lost since falling to top-ranked Adrian 5-2 on Dec. 30.

• CLOSE CALLS: Eight of Augsburg’s 11 games during its current 10-game winning streak have been decided by two goals or less — including seven decided by one goal, two of which the Auggies won in overtime.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Augsburg boasts three players who have scored 10 or more goals this season — Gavin Holland (13), Martinsen (12), and Jarod Blockowiak (11). The trio — which all scored against Saint Mary’s on Friday — have accounted for 36 of the team’s 81 goals through 22 games. … Keenan Lund scored a single-game season-high three goals in Augsburg’s 7-1 win over St. Olaf on Jan. 29.

• LENDING A HAND: Martinsen is the team’s assist leader with 17, followed closely by Austin Dollimer (16), Mason Palmer (15), and Holland (12). … All 15 of Palmer’s points this season have been assists — including a single-game season-high four helpers against St. Olaf on Jan. 29.

• POINTS LEADERS: The Auggies have amassed a whopping 223 points through 22 games and have 10 players who have recorded 10 or more points, led by Martinsen (29), Holland (25), Dollimer (20), and Blackowiak (19). … Lund owns the team’s single-game season-high with five points (3 goals, 2 assists) against St. Olaf on Jan. 29.

• NETTING THE GAME-WINNER: Martinsen has scored a team-leading five game-winning goals — including the winning tally against Saint Mary’s on Friday — one more than Blackowiak and Fritz Belisie. Holland and Logan Kons own two GW goals, with Dollimer, Lund, Erik Palmqvist, Nick Woodward, and Austin Koss accounting for the others.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Samuel Vyleteika and Jack Robbel have shared the goaltending duties this season, with Vyleteika compiling a 1.22 goals-against-average and .950 save percentage in 10 appearances (540:18 minutes), while Robbel boasts a 1.70 GAA and .927 save percentage in 16 appearances (778:12). … Robbel has stopped a team-leading 281 shots, followed closely by Vyleteika with 210. … The tandem have recorded five shutouts — Vyleteika owns four and Robbel has the other.

• QUICK OUT OF THE GATE: The Auggies have outscored their opponents 81-34 — including 24-10 in the game’s opening 20 minutes. Augsburg holds a 32-14 scoring edge in the middle period and a 23-10 advantage in the third.

• OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: The Auggies have scored four or more goals 10 times this season — including a season-high eight-goal performance in beating Bethel 8-2 on Jan.14.

• PUTTING IN OT: Augsburg has played two overtime games this season, with both ending in an Augsburg victory. The Auggies beat 13th-ranked UW-Stevens Point 4-3 on Jan. 8 and edged St. Olaf 3-2 on Jan. 28.