INONA, Minn. - The Saint Mary's men's hockey team (10-12-1) bounced back on Saturday night, defeating St. Olaf (12-8-3) 4-1 at home to split the conference series.
 
Saint Mary's scored one goal in the second period followed by three more in the third, while St. Olaf managed a single goal in the second period. 
 
AJ Ruskowski was active in the first period, successfully saving multiple shots, including early attempts from St. Olaf. The teams ended the first half scoreless.
 
The Cardinals opened the second period with aggressive offense and at 11:20, Warner Young scored the first goal of the period for Saint Mary's, assisted by Laudon Poellinger and Carter Newpower. 
 
St. Olaf equalized with a goal at 3:36, ending the period tied at 1-1.
 
In the third period, the Cardinals caught fire and extended their lead with a game-winning goal by Tommy Wright at 17:43, assisted by Marc Fletemeyer, bringing the score to 2-1. Shortly after, Colin Tushie scored at 15:48, with assists from Laudon Poellinger and Cole Mickel, increasing the lead to 3-1. 
 
Joona Juntunen sealed the victory with an unassisted empty-net goal at 00:15, finalizing the score at 4-1.
 
The Cardinals return to home ice on Friday, February 21st taking on Augsburg at 7:05 p.m.