WINONA, Minn. — A dominant second period propelled the Saint Mary's men's hockey team (2-0-1) to a convincing 4–1 win over nonconference foe UW–Stout (0-1) in their true home opener Friday night at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.

After falling to the Blue Devils in an exhibition matchup two weeks earlier, the Cardinals made sure to flip the script proving that result was firmly in the past with a complete, energized team performance.

The opening period was a chess match of possession and precision, with both teams focusing on smart puck movement and disciplined defense. The Cardinals earned a five-minute power play late in the frame and generated several strong chances including chances from Joona Juntunen and Colin Tushie, but the Blue Devils' goaltender stood tall to keep things scoreless heading into the second.

That momentum, however, carried over and the Cardinals took full advantage. At the 15:10 mark, Juntunen broke free on a clean breakaway and buried his shot, fourth already of the season, for the first goal of the night, assisted by Liam McInnis and Jake Cameron. Less than a minute later, Tushie added to the surge with a sharp-angle finish, set up beautifully by Cooper Smyl and Cameron.

The energy only built from there. Late in the second, defenseman Kyle Arias joined the offensive rush and ripped home his second goal of the season, with helpers from Tyler Lafferty and Luc Cernohous, pushing the lead to 3–0.

The Blue Devils managed to cut the deficit to two in the closing minutes, but Carter Newpower's empty-net tally sealed the deal and capped off the Cardinals statement win.

Saint Mary's outshot UW–Stout in every period.

The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround as they're back on home ice Saturday night, hosting No. 15–ranked UW–Stevens Point for a 7 p.m. puck drop to close out their weekend slate.