SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022-23: 7-6-1 Overall

UW-EAU CLAIRE BLUGOLDS

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2022-23: 8-5-0 Overall

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SMU-UWEC * LAST MEETING:

Nov. 6, 2021 * Winona, MN

L, 4-1 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 6, 2023 * Ashland, WI

Northland * W, 5-4 (ot)

UW-EAU CLAIRE * LAST ACTION:

Jan. 6, 2023 * Eau Claire, WI

St. Olaf * W, 3-1

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 13, 2023

St. Olaf * 7 p.m.

St. Olaf Arena * Northfield, MN

Jan. 14, 2023

St. Olaf * 7:05 p.m.

SMU Ice Arena * Winona, MN

UW-EAU CLAIRE * UP NEXT: 

Jan. 13, 2023

Hamline * 7 p.m.

TRIA Rink * St. Paul, MN

Jan. 14, 2023

St. Scholastica * 7 p.m.

MARS Lakeview Arena * Duluth, MN

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Saint Mary’s heads into its nonconference matchup at UW-Eau Claire on Saturday sitting at 7-6-1 overall, and 3-3-0 in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: 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 Friday evening in Ashland, Wis.

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

• STREAKING: The Cardinals head into Saturday’s nonconference game at UW-Eau Claire riding a season-high six-game winning streak. 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 is its longest since winning six in a row during the 2005-06 season, while you have to go back to 1995-96 for SMU’s last seven-game winning streak.

• OFFENSE IN SYNC: The Cardinals have 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 Friday’s five-goal effort in beating Northland.

• LIGHTING THE LAMP: Nikita Sheberov (Obninsk, Russia) — who scored three times against Lawrence on Tuesday — scored one of SMU’s five goals against Northland to move into the team lead in goals with six, one more than Trevor Schroder (Des Moines, Iowa) and Colin Tushie (Prior Lake, Minn.), who owns goals in each of SMU’s last two game. Warner Young (Newberry, Mich.) has scored four goals, followed Bud Winter (St. Louis, Mo.), Laudon Poellinger (La Crescent, Minn.), Jack Campion (Crystal, Minn.), Thomas Magnavite (Chicago, Ill.) 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 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 three of its last four 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: Kellen Tharaldson (Wausau, Wis.) has racked up a team-leading nine assists, three more than Winter and Poellinger, while Brady Lindauer (Cary, Ill.) has collected five assists, and Young and Nathan Solis (Saline, Mich.) both own four helpers.

• POINT PRODUCERS: Tharaldson enters Saturday’s game at UW-Eau Claire sitting atop the Cardinal points heap with 11, followed by Poellinger and Winter with nine, and Young, Tushie, and Sheberov with eight each. … 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 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 three games and owns a 6.06 GAA and .848 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 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 four of its last six games, and is sitting at 4-1-0 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 11 goals in the first period, 13 in the second, and 18 in the third. SMU has been outscored 14-11 in the opening period, 21-13 in the second, 18-18 in the third. … Saint Mary’s is 10 of 55 on the power play (18.2 %), while killing off 45 of its opponents 58 power-play opportunities (77.6 %). … SMU set season-highs in goals (6), assists (7), points (13), and shots on goal (46) against Lawrence on Tuesday.

UW-EAU CLAIRE BLUGOLDS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Blugolds head into Saturday’s nonconference game against Saint Mary’s sitting at 8-5-0 overall, while sporting a 3-3-0 record through their first six WIAC contests.

• LAST TIME OUT: UW-Eau Claire scored single goals in all three periods — and got one point from seven different players — as the Blugolds knocked off St. Olaf 3-1 Friday evening in Eau Claire, Wis.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday’s matchup against Saint Mary’s is the third straight home game for the Blugolds, who own a 5-1-0 record on their home sheet. UW-EC is 3-4-0 away from Hobbs Ice Arena this season.

• TOUGH MONTH: UW-Eau Claire closed out the 2022 portion of its schedule owning just one win in the month of December. The Blugolds defeated UW-Stout 4-2, but dropped decisions to UW-Superior (2-0) and UW-Stevens Point (6-2 & 3-2) before the holiday break.

• AGAINST THE MIAC: The Blugolds are in the midst of playing four straight games against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Along with Friday’s 3-1 win over St. Olaf and Saturday’s showdown with Saint Mary’s, UW-EC will face Hamline and St. Scholastica on the road next weekend. UW-Eau Claire has already faced four MIAC teams this season, beating Saint John’s (4-3) and Gustavus (3-0) to open the season, before falling to Augsburg (3-1) and Bethel (4-3) the following weekend.

• OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Quinn Green heads into Saturday’s showdown with Saint Mary’s leading the team with seven goals, one more than Connor Szmul and Ryan Green, while Jack Johnston, Dawson Klein, and Coalson Wolford have each scored three times. … UW-Eau Claire’s 38 goals this season have come from 13 different players. … UWEC has had six different players score two goals in a game this season — including Szmul and Kyler Grundy each achieving the feat against Northland on Nov. 18.

• LENDING A HELPING HAND: Along with his seven goals, Quinn Green also shares the team lead in assists (7) with Klein. Szmul, Ty Readman, and Aaron Swanson are all tied with five helpers, with Wily Stauber, Kyler Grundy, Leo Bacallao, and Peter Jacobs chipping in four helpers each. … Quinn Green and Klein have each posted two, two-assist games this season.

• POINT PRODUCTION: UW-Eau Claire has three players — Quinn Green (14), Szmul (11), and Klein (10) — who have reached double figures in points this season. …  Quinn Green owns two three-point games this season, while Klein has posted three points in a game once.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Max Gutjahr has played every minute in goal for the Blugolds, compiling a 2.59 goals-against-average and .910 save percentage in 13 games. … Gutjahr has amassed 343 saves — and has stopped 26 or more shots in all 13 starts, including a season-high 44-save effort against Augsburg on Nov. 11. … Gutjahr stopped all 29 shots he faced in shutting out Gustavus on Nov. 5.

• BY THE NUMBERS: UW-Eau Claire has scored 38 goals in 13 games. The Blugolds hold an 9-5 scoring edge in the first period and an 11-10 advantage in the third, but have been outscored 13-9 in the second. … UWEC has scored six power-play goals on 35 attempts (17.1 %), while killing off 34 of its opponents’ 41 power-play opportunities (82.9 %). … UW-Eau Claire posted season-highs in goals (5), assists (9), and points (14) in beating Northland 5-4 in overtime on Nov. 18. … The Blugolds have scored first in nine of their 13 games, going 6-3-0.