SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022-23: 3-3-0 MIAC, 7-7-1Overall

ST. OLAF OLES

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022-23: 4-2-0 MIAC, 10-4-1 Overall

LIVE ON THE WEB:

Live Stats * Streaming Video * MIAC Standings

Social: Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * YouTube

SMU-STO * A YEAR AGO:

W, 4-1 * W, 2-1 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 7, 2023 * Eau Claire, WI

UW-Eau Claire * L, 4-1

ST. OLAF * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 7, 2023 * Ashland, WI

Northland * W, 3-2 (ot)

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 14, 2023

St. Olaf * 7:05 p.m.

SMU Ice Arena * Winona, MN

ST. OLAF * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 14, 2023

Saint Mary’s * 7:05 p.m.

SMU Ice Arena * Winona, MN

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Saint Mary’s heads into its conference matchup at St. Olaf on Friday sitting at 7-7-1 overall, and 3-3-0 in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals went 1-1 in their final nonconference weekend of the season last weekend. Callahan Nauss (Maple Plain, Minn.) scored with less than two minutes remaining in overtime to lift the Cardinals to a 5-4, come-from-behind victory over Northland last Friday, while the Cardinals surrendered four unanswered goals in falling to UW-Eau Claire 4-1 the following evening.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Friday’s game at St. Olaf is the fourth straight road games for the Cardinals, who played nine of their first 13 games on their home ice. SMU is 4-4-1 at home, while going 3-3-0 away from the Saint Mary’s Ice Arena.

• STREAKING: The Cardinals had their season-high six-game win streak snapped with last Saturday’s 4-1 loss to St. Olaf. After opening the season 1-6-1, SMU has rattled off wins over Lawrence (3-1), Gustavus (4-1 & 4-3), MSOE (5-3), Lawrence (6-3), and Northland (5-4 OT). … Saint Mary’s six-game win streak was its longest since winning six in a row during the 2005-06 season.

• OFFENSE IN SYNC: The Cardinals netted 27 goals during its current six-game win streak — including back-to-back four-goal efforts against Gustavus on Dec. 3-4, a five-goal showing vs. MSOE on Dec. 10, a season-high six-goal performance against Lawrence on Jan. 3, and last Friday’s five-goal effort in beating Northland.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Nikita Sheberov (Obninsk, Russia) — who scored three times against Lawrence on Jan. 2 — scored one of SMU’s five goals against Northland last Friday to move into the team lead in goals with six, one more than Trevor Schroder (Des Moines, Iowa) and Colin Tushie (Prior Lake, Minn.). Warner Young (Newberry, Mich.) and Thomas Magnavite (Chicago, Ill.) have scored four goals, followed Bud Winter (St. Louis, Mo.), Laudon Poellinger (La Crescent, Minn.), Jack Campion (Crystal, Minn.) and Callahan Nauss (Maple Plain, Minn.) with three each. … SMU has gotten goals from 15 different players. 

• TOSSING THE HAT: Sheberov netted his first collegiate hat trick against Lawrence on Jan. 2. He is the first Cardinal player to score three goals in a game since Andrew Froese (Traverse City, Mich.) achieved the feat against Gustavus on Feb. 23, 2021.

• DOUBLING UP: Saint Mary’s has had a player score two or more goals in a game four this season. Along with Sheberov’s three-goal night against Lawrence on Jan. 2, Winter scored twice against Lake Forest on Oct. 28; Tharaldson recorded his first collegiate two-goal game against Gustavus on Dec. 3; and Tushie collected his first two-goal game as a Cardinal against MSOE on Dec. 10.

• MULTIPLE POINTS: Sheberov and Campion have each recorded career-high three-point games — Sheberov’s coming on three goals against Lawrence on Jan. 2, while Campion picked up a pair of assists to go with his first-period goal against Gustavus on Dec. 2 en route to his first collegiate three-point night. Winter collected helpers on three of SMU’s four goals vs. the Gusties on Dec. 2 for his first career three-assist game — and third career three-point night.

• FIRST COLLEGIATE GOAL: Saint Mary’s has four players who have scored their first goals in a Cardinal uniform this season. Jackson Nauss (Maple Plain, Minn.) tallied his first in a Cardinal jersey last Friday vs. Gustavus; Westbrook scored his first SMU goal vs. UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 11; Tushie netted his first SMU goal against Lake Forest on Oct. 29; and Campion delivered his first career goal vs. Hamline on Nov. 5.

• LENDING A HAND: Kellen Tharaldson (Wausau, Wis.) has racked up a team-leading 10 assists, three more than Poellinger and four in front of Winter. Young and Brady Lindauer (Cary, Ill.) have collected five assists, and Magnavite and Nathan Solis (Saline, Mich.) both own four helpers.

• POINT PRODUCERS: Saint Mary’s boasts two players who have reached double-digits in points this season — Tharaldson leads the way with 12 points, two up on Poellinger, while Young and Winter are tied for third with nine, and Tushie, Magnavite, and Sheberov have both collected eight points. … Saint Mary’s has gotten at least one point from 21 different players — including goalkeeper Matt Sankner (Pennington, N.J.).

• WEEKLY HONORS: After scoring two goals and adding a pair of assists against Lake Forest on Oct. 28-29, Poellinger was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Oct. 31.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Saint Mary’s has used three different goalies this season. Sankner has stopped 299 of the 331 shots he’s faced in 11 appearances en route to a 3.10 GAA and a .903 save percentage, while Connor Close (Des Moines, Iowa) boasts a 5.34 GAA, .831 save % and has made 69 saves in his three starts. A.J. Ruskowski (Traverse City, Mich.) has also appeared in four games — including two starts — and owns a 4.66 GAA and .877 save %. … Sankner has stopped 30 or more shots nine times in his career — including four times this season. … Sankner delivered a career-high 45-save effort against Augsburg on Nov. 18. … Close recorded a career-high 36 saves against Lake Forest on Oct. 29.

• FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENSE: Sankner collected his first collegiate assist, getting the lone helper on Sheberov’s first goal in the second period SMU’s 6-3 win over Lawrence on Jan. 2. … Sankner’s assist is the first by a Cardinal goalie since Nick Nash picked up an assist against Gustavus on Oct. 26, 2018.

• WORKING OVERTIME: The Cardinals have played two overtime games this season, battling Lake Forest to a 5-5 draw on Oct. 28, while beating Northland 5-4 Friday night. Friday’s OT game was SMU’s fifth over the last two seasons.

• CLEAN SHEET: Saint Mary’s was not whistled for a penalty in its 3-1 win over Lawrence on Nov. 22. All told, there were just two penalties called in the nonconference contest, both against the Vikings.

• SCORING FIRST: Saint Mary’s has scored first in five of its last seven games, and is sitting at 4-2-0 when netting the game’s first goal, while going 3-5-1 when its opponent scores first. … The Cardinals were 6-1-0 when netting the game’s first goal a year ago, while going 2-13-1 when their opponent nets the game’s first goal.

• BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: It was a tale of late-game heroics in SMU’s conference-opening series against Hamline on Nov. 4-5. HU scored two goals in the game’s final 3:33 en route to a 3-2 win over the Cardinals in the first game on Nov. 4, with SMU turning the tables in the rematch, scoring twice in a 33-second span in the final two minutes of regulation en route to a 2-1 victory the following evening.

• BY THE NUMBERS: Saint Mary’s has scored 12 goals in the first period, 13 in the second, and 18 in the third. SMU has been outscored 14-12 in the opening period, 22-13 in the second, and 21-18 in the third. … Saint Mary’s is 10 of 60 on the power play (16.7 %), while killing off 47 of its opponents 62 power-play opportunities (75.8 %). … SMU set season-highs in goals (6), assists (7), points (13), and shots on goal (46) against Lawrence on Jan. 2.

ST. OLAF OLES SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Oles head into their two-game weekend series against Saint Mary’s sitting at 10-4-1 overall, including a 4-2-0 mark through the first six games of the conference season.

• LAST TIME OUT: St. Olaf closed out its nonconference schedule with a split in its games against UW-Eau Claire and Northland. The Oles dropped a 3-1 decision to UW-Eau Claire last Friday, before edging Northland 3-2 in overtime the following evening.

• FAST START: After opening the season 7-1-1 — including a six-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) — the Oles have gone 3-3-0 in its last six contests.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Six of St. Olaf’s 10 wins this season have come on its home ice. The Oles are 6-2-1 at home, while going 4-2-0 away from the St. Olaf Ice Arena.

• WORKING OVERTIME: Three of St. Olaf’s last six games have all been decided in overtime. The Oles dropped a 6-5 decision to second-ranked Augsburg on Dec. 3, while beating Bethel 2-1 on Dec. 10 and topping Northland 3-2 last Saturday. All told, STO has played five overtime games this season, having also beating Marian 3-2 on Nov. 27 and battling UW-Stevens Point to a 5-5 draw on Nov. 12.

• NAILBITERS: Twelve of St. Olaf’s 15 games have been decided by two goals or less — the lone exceptions a 7-1 win over Northland, a 3-0 victory against UW-River Falls, and a 5-2 loss to Milwaukee School of Engineering.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Tyler Cooper enters the weekend boasting a team-leading nine goals, while Troy Bowditch, Jonathan Young, and Jonathan Panisa are all tied for second with five goals, and Connor Kaithoff and Sean Walsh have each found the back of the net four times. … St. Olaf has gotten a goal from 18 different players. … Young and Ashton Altman have both posted two-goal games this season — Young vs Augsburg on Dec. 3 and Altmann against Marian on Nov. 27.

• LENDING A HAND: Bowditch has amassed a team-best 15 assists, seven more than Kaithoff. Kelijah McElroy and Parker Casey both own six helpers, followed by Young, Matthew Pointer, and Evan Shoemaker with five each. … McElroy and Bowditch have each recorded three assists in a game this season.

• POINT PRODUCTION: St. Olaf boasts four players who have reached double digits in points, led by Bowditch with 20. Cooper (13), Kaithoff (12), and Young (10) have also eclipsed the 10-point mark.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: St. Olaf has used three different goalies this season. Lukas Haugen has appeared in six games (364:45 minutes) and owns a 1.97 goals-against-average and .929 save percentage, while Thomas Lalonde has made five appearances (300:09) with a 2.40 GAA and .911 save % and Tyler Laureault has played in four games (245:35) and has compiled a 2.69 GAA and .908 save %. …Haugen leads the team with 158 saves, followed closely by Lalonde with 123 and Laureault with 108. … Laureault recorded a season-high 35 saves against Northland last Saturday.

• BY THE NUMBERS: The Oles have outscored their opponents 49-37, including 11-9 in the first period, 15-12 in the second, and 20-15 in the third. … St. Olaf has scored nine power-play goals on 62 chances (14.4 %), while its opponents have netted 12 goals on 62 man-advantage situations (19.4 %). … The Oles posted single-game season-highs in virtually every offensive category against Northland in their first meeting on Oct. 28, including goals (7), assists (11), points (18), and shots on goal (48).