WINONA, Minn. — There's something about playing St. Thomas that has brought out the best in Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.).
 
Kinne, who scored the game-tying goal with 25 seconds remaining in regulation in lifting the Cardinal men's hockey team to a 3-3 tie against the Tommies in their first meeting at the MIAC Hockey Showcase on Oct. 28, was at it again this past weekend.
 
In a big way.
 
Kinne scored two goals and added an assist—including the game-tying goal with 16 seconds remaining in regulation—in the Cardinals' heartbreaking 6-5 loss to St. Thomas last Friday.
 
And a day later, it was Kinne to the rescue again, as the senior forward assisted on Martin Gruse's (Trenton, Mich.) first-period tally, before picking up his third goal of the weekend—the game-winner midway through the second period—as the Cardinals earned a split against the league-leading and nationally ranked Tommies with a 2-1 victory.
 
Monday afternoon, Kinne was recognized for his Herculean effort, being named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week.
 
A two-time All-MIAC First-Team selection, Kinne finished the weekend series against St. Thomas having a hand in five of the team's seven goals—pushing his team-leading point total to 17. Kinne also leads the team in goals with 10—including a current four-game goal-scoring streak.
 
The Cardinals, who are sitting in second place in the MIAC standings with a 5-3-0 record—just four points behind St. Thomas— step out of conference play for the final time this weekend, heading to K.B. Willett Arena in Stevens Point, Wis., next Friday for a 7 p.m. contest against UW-Stevens Point, before traveling to Dunn County Ice Arena in Menomonie, Wis., to face UW-Stout in a 7:30 p.m. matchup a day later.