BLAINE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's men's hockey team (12-7-2, 8-3-1) completed a weekend conference sweep of Bethel University (10-10-1, 6-6-0) with a 2–0 victory on Saturday, powered by clutch performance in net from Adam Prokop.

Prokop was outstanding between the pipes, stopping all 37 shots he faced to earn the first shutout of his collegiate career, anchoring a strong defensive effort as the Cardinals locked down the Royals for the second straight game.

Joona Juntunen delivered the game-winning goal on the power play, firing four shots on goal in an active offensive night. Reid Watson added an even-strength tally while also blocking three shots, and Cole Mickel fueled the attack with two assists, a shot on goal, and a blocked shot.

The opening period saw both teams trade chances, with Mickel and Paden Hicks generating early looks for Saint Mary's. Bethel applied pressure, including a power-play opportunity, but Prokop stood tall with a series of key saves to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.

The breakthrough came late in the second period when the Cardinals cashed in with the man advantage. At 2:18, Juntunen buried a power-play goal off feeds from Mickel and Kyle Arias, giving Saint Mary's a 1–0 lead.

Saint Mary's added insurance early in the third when Watson found the back of the net at 4:30, again with Mickel picking up the assist. From there, Prokop took center stage, calmly turning aside Bethel's late push, including an empty-net sequence, to seal the shutout and the series sweep.

The Cardinals capped off an impressive weekend placing them in first for the conference tournament still to come at the end of February and embark on what could be their first regular season conference title since 1987.

The team is back in action taking on St. Olaf at home on Friday, Feb. 13 for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.