SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022-23: 6-6-1 Overall

NORTHLAND LUMBERJACKS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022-23: 1-13-1 Overall

LIVE ON THE WEB:

Live Stats * Streaming Video * MIAC Standings

Social: Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * YouTube

SMU-NORTHLAND * LAST MEETING:

Jan. 10, 2015 * Winona, MN

W, 5-4 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 3, 2023 * Appleton, WI

Lawrence * W, 6-3

NORTHLAND * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 3, 2023 * Houghton, MI

Finlandia * L, 2-1

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 7, 2023

UW-Eau Claire * 7 p.m.

Hobbs Ice Arena * Eau Claire, WI

NORTHLAND * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 7, 2023

St. Olaf * 3 p.m.

Bay Area Civic Center * Ashland, WI

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Saint Mary’s heads into its nonconference matchup at Northland on Friday sitting at 6-6-1 overall, and 3-3-0 in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Nikita Sheberov (Obninsk, Russia) scored three times and the Cardinals netted five unanswered goals in rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat Lawrence 6-3 Tuesday evening in Appleton, Wis.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Friday’s game at Northland is the second of four straight road games for the Cardinals, who have played nine of its first 13 games on their home ice. SMU is 4-4-1 at home, while going 1-2-0 away from the Saint Mary’s Ice Arena.

• STREAKING: The Cardinals head into Friday’s nonconference game at Northland riding a season-high five-game winning streak. After opening the season 1-6-1 — including a season-high four-game losing streak — SMU has rattled off wins over Lawrence (3-1), Gustavus (4-1 & 4-3), MSOE (5-3), and Lawrence (6-3). … Saint Mary’s five-game win streak is its longest since winning five in a row during the 2016-17 season — beating UW-River Falls (5-3), Bethel (2-1, 4-2), St. Olaf (4-3, 3-0)

• OFFENSE IN SYNC: After scoring just four goals during its four-game losing streak, the Cardinals have netted 22 goals during its current five-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, and a season-high six-goal performance against Lawrence on Tuesday night.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: With his three goals against Lawrence on Tuesday, Sheberov moved into a tie with Trevor Schroder (Des Moines, Iowa) for the team lead in goals with five, one more than Warner Young (Newberry, Mich.) and Colin Tushie (Prior Lake, Minn.). Bud Winter (St. Louis, Mo.), Jack Campion (Crystal, Minn.), and Thomas Magnavite (Chicago, Ill.) have all scored three goals, while Callahan Nauss (Maple Plain, Minn.), Kellen Tharaldson (Wausau, Wis.), and Laudon Poellinger (La Crescent, Minn.) are all sitting with two goals. … SMU has gotten goals from 15 different players. 

• TOSSING THE HAT: Sheberov netted his first collegiate hat trick against Lawrence on Tuesday. 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 — including a multiple-goal scorer in each of its last three games. Along with Sheberov’s three-goal night against Lawrence on Tuesday, 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: 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, while 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: Tharaldson has racked up a team-leading eight assists, two more than Winter, Poellinger, while Brady Lindauer (Cary, Ill.) has collected five assists and Young owns four helpers.

• POINT PRODUCERS: Tharaldson enters Friday’s game at Northland sitting atop the Cardinal points heap with 10, followed by Winter with nine, and Young and Poellinger with eight. … Saint Mary’s has gotten at least one point from 20 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 286 of the 318 shots he’s faced in 10 appearances en route to a 3.19 GAA and an .899 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 appeared in two games and owns a boasts a 7.29 GAA and .812 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 of Tuesday’s 6-3 win over Lawrence. … 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’ 5-5 tie against Lake Forest on Oct. 28 was their fourth OT contest over the past 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 four of its last five games, and is sitting at 4-1-0 when netting the game’s first goal, while going 2-5-1 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 11 goals in the first period, 11 in the second, and 16 in the third. SMU has been outscored 14-11 in the opening period, 18-11 in the second, and 17-16 in the third. … Saint Mary’s is 9 of 53 on the power play (17.0 %), while killing off 43 of its opponents 56 power-play opportunities (76.8 %). … SMU set season-highs in goals (6), assists (7), points (13), and shots on goal (46) against Lawrence on Tuesday.

NORTHLAND LUMBERJACKS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Lumberjacks head into Friday’s game against Saint Mary’s sitting at 1-13-1 overall, including a 1-6-0 showing through seven WIAC contests.

• LAST TIME OUT: Brendan Erickson scored 59 seconds into overtime, lifting Finlandia to a 2-1 nonconference win over Northland Tuesday evening in Houghton, Mich.

• LIMPING IN: Northland enters Friday’s matchup against Saint Mary’s having dropping three straight — including back-to-back 2-1 losses to UW-Superior and Finlandia in their most recent two contests. … The Lumberjacks snapped a season-opening 11-game winless streak (0-10-1) with a 4-2 win over UW-River Falls on Dec. 3.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Friday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the first of six straight home games for the Lumberjacks, who are 1-4-1 on their home ice, while sitting at 0-9-0 away from the Bay Area City Arena.

• AGAINST THE MIAC: This weekend’s games against Saint Mary’s and St. Olaf are the last of seven games against teams from the MIAC. Northland is still searching for its first win vs. the MIAC, dropping decisions to St. Olaf (7-3), Concordia (3-1), Saint John’s (4-1), Hamline (4-1), and Augsburg (5-1).

• IN NEED OF OFFENSE: The Lumberjacks have been held to two goals or less in 11 of their 14 games this season, including nine games in with one or few goals. Northland was blanked in back-to-back games to UW-Superior (3-0, 7-0), and managed just one goal in losses to St. Olaf (7-1), Concordia (3-1), Saint John’s (4-1), Hamline (4-1), Augsburg (5-1), UW-Superior (2-1), and Finlandia (2-1).

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Ty Brown and Brock Weimer share the team lead with four goals each, two more than Josh King, Bryson Cecconi, Zach Ross, and Cameron Coutre, while Ben Varga, Luke Hartge, Parker Severson, Brandon Holt, and Rajvir Sangha own the Lumberjacks’ other five tallies.

• DOUBLING UP: Brown and Weimer have each netted two goals in a game — Brown vs. UW-Stout on Dec. 2 and Weimer vs. UW-River Falls on Dec. 3.

• LENDING A HELPING HAND: King and Cecconi lead the way with five assists apiece, followed by Varga with four, and Brown, Hartge, Max Collette, and Brendan Charlton with three each. … Cecconi posted a single-game team-high three assists against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 18.

• POINT PRODUCTION: There’s a logjam atop the Lumberjacks’ points race, with Brown, King and Cecconi all sitting with seven points. Weimer is one back with six points, followed by Varga with five, and Ross and Hartge with four.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Northland has used three different goalies this season. Chris Curr has appeared in a team-high nine games (470:06 minutes), compiling a 4.47 goals-against average and .875 save percentage, while Viktor Wennberg has played in seven games (330:35) and sports a 2.54 GAA and .899 save %; and Kenny Vought boasts a 4.14 GAA and .857 save % in three games (101:25). … Curr made a season-high 41 saves against St. Olaf on Oct. 28, and leads the team with 246 saves.

• WORKING OVERTIME: Northland has played two overtime games this season — both against Finlandia. The Lumberjacks and Lions battled to a 2-2 draw on Nov. 1, while FU posted a 2-1 OT win on Tuesday.

• BY THE NUMBERS: Northland has been outscored 61-24 through 15 games, while being outshot 474-324. … The Lumberjacks have scored as many goals in the second period (12) as they have in the first (5) and third (7) combined. … Eight of Northland’s 24 goals have come on the power-play (12.1 %), while NC’s opponents have netted 15 goals with the man advantage (23.4 %). … Northland has posted season-highs in goals (4), assists (8), and points (12) twice this season — against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 18 and vs. UW-River Falls on Dec. 3. …