WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University men's hockey coach Ryan Egan knew that one of the keys to Saturday's game against ninth-ranked UW-Eau Claire would be getting off to a quick start.
 
There was definitely a quick start in the teams' nonconference showdown — it just wasn't by the Cardinals.
 
UW-Eau Claire scored goals in the opening three minutes of each of the game's three periods in dealing the Cardinals a 5-0 setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The Blugolds appeared to have taken a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the opening frame, but the goal was waved off and ruled to have clanked off the post. Less than 30 seconds later, however, UW-EC officially took a 1-0 lead, as Tyler Love whistled a wrist shot past a screened Matt Sankner (Pennington, N.J.) from the top of the right circle.
 
UW-Eau Claire nearly made it 2-0 before the first period ended, but Quinn Green's wrister in the waning seconds was stopped by Sankner's best friend — the left goal post — keeping it a one-goal game after 20 minutes of play.
 
 The Blugolds were back to their quick-striking ways to open the second period, scoring just 2:38 into the frame on a laser by Aaron Swanson over Sankner's right shoulder to extend their lead to 2-0.
 
Saint Mary's had a golden opportunity to cut into the Blugolds' lead late in the second stanza on the power play, only to have UWEC turn the tables on SMU, getting a shorthanded, breakaway tally from Ryan Green to make it a 3-0 Blugold lead after two periods.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the third period began in eerily similar fashion to the first two — with UW-Eau Claire striking quickly, this time needing just 2:02 to find the back of the net, this time off the stick of Sammy Martel, who beat Sankner on the power play.
 
Less than three minutes later, the Blugolds' lead climbed to 5-0 on Green's second goal of the game — once again on the power play — and UWEC holds SMU to just seven third-period shots on goal in preserving the shutout.
 
The Cardinals (3-9-2 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend with a pair of games against St. Olaf. Saint Mary's will host the Oles in a 7:05 p.m. contest on Friday, with the two teams then heading to the St. Olaf Ice Arena in Northfield, Minn., for Saturday's 5 p.m. rematch.
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