WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's hockey team steps out of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain 11th-ranked UW-Eau Claire in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-2-1 Overall) vs. UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (3-2-0 Overall)
 
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Last Night:
• Saint Mary's—November 10, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: UW-Stevens Point scored three goals in each of the first two periods in handing the Cardinals a 7-2 nonconference setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena | Recap
• UW-Eau Claire—November 9, 2017 * Mendota Heights, Minn.: St. Thomas scored four of the game's final five games—including three unanswered tallies in the third period—as the Tommies handed the Blugolds a 5-3 nonconference setback at the St. Thomas Ice Arena | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Eau Claire—Their Last Meeting:
• November 4, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's and UW-Eau Claire hit the ice for a nonconference matchup at Hobbs Arena, and for the second straight year, the Blugolds were unbeaten in their first two games—and ranked No. 8 in the USCHO.com poll. Unlike a year ago—when Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) scored with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to earn the Cardinals the 3-3 tie—this time around, the Cardinals needed to dig themselves out of a much larger hole. Which is exactly what they did, scoring three unanswered goals—including the game-tying tally by Alex DiBacco (Darien, Ill.) five minutes into the third period— lifting Saint Mary's to its second straight 3-3 tie against the Blugolds | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, hosting Augsburg in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena on Friday, before heading to Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis, Minn., for the 7 p.m. rematch a day later.
• UW-Eau Claire: The Blugolds return home to Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire, Wis., next weekend, hosting St. Norbert in a 7 p.m. nonconference game on Friday, before squaring off against Lawrence at 7 p.m. the next day.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
• Saturday's game against UW-Eau Claire is the second of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who play seven of their next eight games on their home ice. … Saturday's game against 11^th-ranked UW-Eau Claire is the second of four straight games against nationally ranked opponents. Saint Mary's dropped a 7-2 decision to No. 5 UW-Stevens Point on Friday, and will face fourth-ranked Augsburg for a pair of games next weekend. … Saint Mary's 1-1 tie with St. Thomas last Saturday was its first overtime game of the season. The Cardinals played eight OT games a year ago, going 1-4-3. … The Cardinals held St. Thomas to a single goal in both games last weekend. Saint Mary's has now limited its first four opponents to just one goal. … The Cardinals are now 11-1-1 in the last 13 games in which they limit their opponent to two goals or less. … With their win and tie vs. St. Thomas, the Cardinals are now 3-3-3 in their last nine meetings with the Tommies. … Dylan Robertson (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Kyle Meeh (St. Louis, Mo.) scored the Cardinals' two goals in Friday's 7-2 loss to UW-Stevens Point. … Jack Stang's (Mendota Heights, Minn.) third-period empty net goal against St. Thomas last Saturday was the first of his collegiate career. … Stang is the second Cardinal to score his first goal of his collegiate career this season—Ben Owen (Allen, Texas) scored in Saint Mary's 3-1 win over Bethel last Saturday. … Jay Heinle (York, Pa.) leads the team in both goals (3) and points (4). … The Cardinals' nine assists through five games have come from eight different players—Jude Warner (Pickerington, Ohio) owns two, while Heinle, Walz, Robertson, Kellen Wasell (Edmonds, Wash.), Alex DiBacco (Darien, Ill.), and Jared Johnson (Hartland, Wis.) all have one. … Aaron Davis (Mound, Minn.)—who stopped 101 of the 105 shots he faced in the Cardinals' first four games—surrendered four goals against UW-Stevens Point Friday. … Davis has started all five games in goal for the Cardinals, compiling a 1.78 goals-against-average and .934 save percentage. … Davis picked up his first collegiate shutout, making 31 saves in a 2-0 win over Gustavus on Feb. 4, 2017, while stopping 28 shots en route to his first win as a Cardinal on Nov. 5, 2016. … Saint Mary's scored more empty net goals against St. Thomas last Friday (2) than the Cardinals netted all of last season (1). … Saint Mary's has not scored a goal in the first period this season, while netting five goals in both the second and third periods. The Cardinals' opponents, meanwhile, have tallied five of their 11 goals in the game's opening 20 minutes. … Saint Mary's is unbeaten (2-0-0) when scoring first, while going 0-2-1 when its opponent scores the game's opening goal. … The Cardinals made their second MIAC Playoff appearance in the last three seasons a year ago, falling to eventual playoff champion Augsburg 5-4 in overtime in the semifinals. Saint Mary's reached the MIAC Playoff championship game in 2015, falling to Hamline 4-2.
 
Scouting The UW-Eau Claire Blugolds:
2017-18 Roster | 2017-18 Statistics | 2017-18 Schedule
• UW-Eau Claire enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's ranked No. 11 in the latest USCHO.com Poll. … Following Saturday's game against Saint Mary's, the Blugolds will play their next four contests on their home ice. UW-Eau Claire, which went 11-2-1 at Hobbs Ice Arena a year ago, is a perfect 2-0-0 at home this season—Bethel (6-2) and Hamline (7-0). … Saint Mary's is the fourth of eight opponents from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on the Blugolds' schedule this season. … Thursday's loss to St. Thomas snapped the Blugolds' three-game winning streak. … Jake Bresser, Jake Hopfner, and Alex Strand scored UW-Eau Claire's three goals against St. Thomas Thursday, while Colton Wolter collected assists on two of the Blugolds' three goals. … Hopfner's goal against St. Thomas was his team-leading fourth of the season. … Bresser, Strand and Jesse Tredinnick are all second to Hopfner with three goals each. … Wolter owns a team-best four assists, and Tredinnick is the team-leader in points with five. … UW-Eau Claire's three game-winning goals have come from three different players—Hopfner, Tredinnick, and Todd Koritzinsky. … Camden Haugenoe, who made 26 saves against St. Thomas Thursday, has started all five games in goal for the Blugolds, compiling a 1.99 goals-against-average and a .915 save percentage. The freshman has stopped 108 of the 118 shots he's faced through five games. … UW-Eau Claire has outscored its opponents 19-11—including 7-2 in the first period. … The Blugolds have scored first in all three of their wins, while going 0-2-0 when their opponent scores first.