NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Saint Mary's made a statement Saturday night.

The Cardinals (13-8-2, 9-4-1) erupted for four third-period goals to power past St. Olaf (11-7-5, 7-5-2), 6-1, vaulting back into first place in the conference standings with 30 points and officially clinching a playoff berth in the process for the first time since the 2023-24 season.

After holding a slim 2-1 edge through two periods, Saint Mary's blew the doors open in the final frame, capitalizing on two power-play opportunities and overwhelming the Oles down the stretch. The Cardinals' defense stood tall all night, surrendering just one goal while Adam Prokop turned aside 37 shots in a commanding performance between the pipes.

Ryan Berglund fueled the offense with a three-point night, tallying one goal and two assists. Cooper Smyl delivered in clutch fashion, scoring twice on the power play to spark the surge. Ben Polomsky netted the eventual game-winner and finished with a +2 rating as the Cardinals controlled play in all three zones.

Saint Mary's wasted no time grabbing momentum. Smyl opened the scoring with a power-play strike at 15:22 of the first, set up by Berglund and Liam McInnis. Polomsky followed with an unassisted goal midway through the period to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead after one.

St. Olaf trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the second period, but Saint Mary's never wavered. Despite several quality chances, the Cardinals entered the third period still holding the one-goal advantage and then turned it into a rout.

Smyl's second power-play goal ignited the third-period outburst before Berglund found the back of the net to extend the lead. Blake Green added another in the flurry, and Joona Juntunen capped the scoring late to seal the dominant 6-1 victory.

With the win, the Cardinals not only reclaimed the top spot in the conference race but punched their ticket to the postseason.

The team is looking to hold their first place spot as they look to travel to Augsburg on Friday, Feb. 20 for a 7:00 p.m. game time.