BLAINE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team had so much fun playing overtime in their first game of the season, the Cardinals decided to do it again on Sunday in Game 2 of the year.
 
Unfortunately, this time around, the end result wasn't quit as satisfying for coach Moore and the Cardinals.
 
Two days after battling St. Thomas to a 3-3 stalemate in the first day of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Hockey Showcase, the Cardinals were once again deadlocked at the end of regulation—this time knotted at 2-2 against Concordia.
 
Less than two minutes into the extra session, however, the Cobbers' Zach Doerring corralled a loose puck and put it past Saint Mary's goalie Aaron Davis (Mound, Minn.), as Concordia handed the Cardinals a 3-2 nonconference setback.
 
"It was a good game, but we have got to do a better job of converting on our chances," said Saint Mary's coach Bill Moore, whose team held a 35-18 advantage in shots on goal. "Concordia has a very good team—they were a playoff team a year ago, and they'll be in the thick of it again this year.
 
"I was happy with our effort—the guys played hard."
 
Chad Cesarz (Jackson, Mich.) got the Cardinals on the board first, banging a Landon Farrell (Rochester, Minn.) rebound past Concordia goalie Jacob Stephen six minutes into the opening period.
 
The Cobbers pulled even at 14:41 of the second period, as Garrett Hendrickson rifled a shot through a screen, off a player's skate and past Davis to make it a 1-1 contest heading into the game's final 20 minutes.
 
Saint Mary's regained the lead at 12:24 of the third period on a goal by Michael Cimba (Wilmette, Ill.), but 46 seconds later, it was knotted again, as Quinn Fuchs beat Davis with a wrist shot from the slot.
 
The Cardinals had a pair of golden opportunities in the final eight minutes, but both Martin Gruse (Trenton, Mich.) and Nick Albergo (Elmhurst, Ill.) had their shots clank off the post.
 
Concordia did not waste any time in the extra session, scoring on their first shot of the extra period—off the stick of Doerring—in securing its second straight one-goal victory.
 
Davis finished with 15 saves in his collegiate debut between the pipes for Saint Mary's, while Stephen stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced in goal for the Cobbers.
 
The Cardinals (0-1-1 overall) are back in action next weekend, returning home to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for a pair of nonconference games against nationally ranked opponents. Saint Mary's entertains No. 11 UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m. on Friday, before hosting No. 12 UW-River Falls the following night, also at 7 p.m.