WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's hockey team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday, as the Cardinals host Hamline in a 7:30 p.m. contest at the SMU Ice Arena



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-0 MIAC | 2-2-0 Overall)
vs. Hamline Pipers (0-0-0 MIAC | 0-3-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got goals from five different players — including four special-teams goals — as SMU completed a 1-1-0 weekend with a 5-2 win over St. Scholastica Saturday at the SMU Ice Arena. SMU had dropped a 3-1 decision to UW-Superior last Friday. … Hamline, meanwhile, lost both of its nonconference games last weekend, falling to UW-Eau Claire 5-4 on Friday and to UW-River Falls 4-2 on Saturday. Friday's game was played at the Vadnais Heights Sports Center in Vadnais Heights, Minn., while Saturday's contest took place at Drake Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Hamline — A Year Ago:
November 11, 2011: Hamline didn't waste any time landing the first punch in its MIAC game against SMU, scoring the game's first goal just 23 seconds into the opening period. The Cardinals countered — again, and again, and again, and again — but each time they landed a punch, the Pipers had an answer, and it was Hamline's 1-2 third-period combination that did SMU in, falling to HU 6-4 at the Vadnais Sports Center.

November 12, 2011: The Cardinals were on top of the world after racing out to a 2-0 first-period lead against the defending conference champions. Unfortunately, it was the Pipers who would score four of the game's final five goals — including the game-winner 43 seconds into overtime, as Hamline handed SMU a heartbreaking 4-3 setback at the SMU Ice Arena.

Up Next:
The Cardinals and Pipers are back on the ice on Saturday, as SMU travels to Vadnais Heights, Minn., and the Vadnais Heights Sports Center for a 6:15 p.m. conference rematch with Hamline.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Friday's game against Hamline is the third straight home game for the Cardinals, who picked up their first win at the SMU Ice Arena with Saturday's 5-2 win over St. Scholastica. … With their five goals vs. St. Scholastica Saturday, SMU has now scored 12 goals in their two wins this season. … The Cardinals' win over St. Scholastica Saturday also snapped a three-game losing streak vs. the Saints, dating back to a 3-1 SMU win on Jan. 6, 2007. … SMU's six goals last weekend came from six different players — Mike Hill (Fort Worth, Texas), Bob Marx (Sioux City, Iowa), Scott Deur (Big Rapids, Mich.), Austin Balko (Midland, Mich.), Bobby Thompson (Centerville, Minn.) and Nick Nagel (Andover, Minn.). … The goals by Marx and Thompson were their team-leading third of the season, while Hill's was his first collegiate goal. … SMUs 14 goals this season have come from eight different players. … Deur's first-period goal vs. St. Scholastica Saturday was his second short-handed tally of the season — which leads all of NCAA Division III, and is tied for the lead in all of collegiate hockey. … After scoring just one shorthanded goal all of last season, SMU has three this season — including two against St. Scholastica Saturday. It was the first time since Nick Meeker and Chad Damerow scored shorthanded goals against UW-Superior on Nov. 21, 2003 that the Cardinals have scored two shorthanded goals in the same game. … SMU's three shorthanded goals are the most since the Cardinals scored three during the 2008-2009 season. … Marx and Thompson enter this weekend's showdown against Hamline sharing the team lead in goals (3), while Thompson also shares the team lead in assists (3) with Hill and leads the team with six points. … Thompson has now scored a goal in three of the team's four games. … Marx recorded his second collegiate two-goal game, and first collegiate three-point game, in SMU's season-opening win over Bethel on Oct. 26. … Christian Gaffy (Scandia, Minn.) stopped 15 of the 17 shots he faced against St. Scholastica en route to his first win in his first collegiate start. … Gaffy becomes the first Cardinal goalie to win in his first collegiate start since Curtis Nosal made 25 saves in a 4-1 win over St. Olaf on Nov. 9, 2002. … St. Scholastica was 0-for-9 on the power play vs. SMU Saturday. SMU has now killed off 16 straight penalties. …  The Cardinals' 7-2 win over Bethel on Oct. 26 was their first season-opening win since beating Finlandia 9-3 to open the 2002-2003 season. … SMU's seven goals against the Royals were the most since the 2006-2007 season, when the Cardinals scored seven or more goals three times — beating Lake Forest 7-4 and Concordia 14-3 and 7-2. … The Cardinals have scored first in both of their wins, while SMU's opponents have netted the first goal in both of the Cardinals' losses.

Scouting the Hamline Pipers:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
The Pipers enter Friday's conference-opener against Saint Mary's still looking for their first win of the season, having gone 0-1-1 at the season-opening MIAC Hockey Showcase, then dropping both games vs. UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls last weekend. … After being shut out in its season-opening 2-0 loss to Gustavus, Hamline has scored 11 goals in its last three games. During that same span, however, the Pipers have surrendered 14 goals. … Nick Widing scored two of his team-leading three goals in HU's loss to UW-Eau Claire last Friday. … Joe Rubbelke, who scored his second goal of the season against UW-River Falls Saturday, is the team's leader in assists (4) and points (6). … Matt Hemingway made a combined 48 saves in HU's two games last weekend. The junior has started three of the Pipers' four games in goal, compiling a 3.69 goals-against-average and an .874 save percentage. … Hamline has surrendered the game's first goal in three of its four games this season. … Hamline, which finished fifth in the conference standings a year ago, graduated four players — including First-Team All-MIAC?selections Brian Arrigoni, Beau Christian and Jordan VanGilder. … Arrigoni, named to the All-MIAC?team for the third straight year, led the Pipers with 14 goals and shared the team lead in points (28) with VanGilder. VanGilder boasted a team-best 17 assists, while Christian capped a stellar season with his third straight All-MIAC?selection, after compiling a 2.84 goals-against-average and a .913 save percentage.