Box Score Box Score | GameDay Preview

BLAINE, Minn. — For 40 minutes, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team had the upper hand against host Bethel Friday evening.

Over the final 20 minutes, however, the Royals turned the tables, as Bethel scored three third-period goals in handing the Cardinals a 5-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Bethel Arena.

“It was one of those games that certainly could go either way,” said SMU coach Bill Moore. “We didn't play all that well in the first period, played very well in the second, and then struggled a bit in the third.”

The Cardinals got on the board first, as Jed McGlasson (Kenai, Alaska netted his first collegiate goal at 13:15 of the opening period, but the Royals netted the equalizer with 16 seconds remaining in the frame, as Chaz Gerads beat SMU goalie Andy Scheib (Sun Prairie, Wis.).

Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.) scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season three minutes into the second period to give the Cardinals a short-lived 2-1 advantage, but again the Royals answered on a goal by Jake Kogler three minutes later.

Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.) — who scored the game-winner in last Saturday's 3-2 win over defending national champion St. Norbert — gave SMU a 3-2 advantage heading into the third period, scoring with one second remaining in the second stanza.

From there, however, it was all Bethel, as the Royals took advantage of an SMU five-minute major penalty to knot the game at 3-3, then took their first lead of the game on a Jack Paul unassisted goal with 3:45 remaining in regulation. Bethel would then add an empty net goal with 11 seconds left to seal the win.

Scheib finished with 26 saves for the Cardinals, while Bethel goalie Dan Harper stopped 21 of SMU's 24 shots.

The Cardinals (1-4 MIAC, 4-10 overall) get another shot at the Royals on Saturday, as SMU hosts Bethel in the second game of their two-game conference series at 7:30 p.m. at the SMU Ice Arena.