WINONA, Minn. — It appears as though the third period is where St. Olaf comes to life. 
 
Which was not good news for the Saint Mary's men's hockey team.
 
And while the Oles' two goals in the final period of Friday's matchup didn't come close to keeping pace with the high-flying Cardinals in an 8-2 SMU victory, Saturday's third-period performance was a different story.
 
The Oles scored all five of their goals in the final stanza, erasing a 2-0 Saint Mary's lead, and dealing the Cardinals a 5-2 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback Saturday evening at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The game started off in favor of the Cardinals — and it appeared as if SMU would pick up right where it left off on Friday.
 
Before the game was even two minutes old, Nathan Solis (Saline, Mich.) scored for the Cardinals, with an assist from Thomas Magnavite (Chicago, Ill.), to give SMU an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Cardinals proceeded to kill off two St. Olaf power-play advantages opportunities and held on to their 1-0 lead as they headed into the first intermission — a stark difference from their 4-0 lead in the first period of Friday's game.
 
As the second period advanced, it seemed as though the score would remain frozen at 1-0 — but Bud Winter (St. Louis, Mo.) had other ideas.
 
With assists from Gabe Potyk (Lake Orion, Mich.) and Callahan Nauss (Maple Plain, Minn.), Winter netted his fourth goal of the season — this one coming on the power-play — to give Saint Mary's a two-goal cushion.
 
That lead would be short-lived, however, as the third period still lie ahead — and the Oles were ready to strrike.
 
Sean Walsh started off the third-period onslaught for the Oles, scoring 6:21 into the third period. Jonathan Panisa evened the score at 2-2 six minutes later, and, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Oles would continue to rack up the goals as the period progressed.
 
Matthew Pointer gathered two additional goals for the Oles, and St. Olaf would add an empty-netter to seal the 5-2 victory.
 
A.J. Ruskowski (Traverse City, Mich.) — who recorded a season-high 42 saves against the Oles on Friday — made 28 saves in Saturday's rematch.
 
The Cardinals (4-4-0 MIAC, 8-8-1 overall) are now off until Friday, Jan. 27, when they head to the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference matchup.

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