By
DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
WINONA, Minn. — For the second game in a row, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team netted three goals.
And, for the second game in a row, three goals wasn't enough to give the Cardinals their first win of the season.
Lake Forest — which battled Saint Mary's to a 3-3 overtime tie in the teams' season-opener on Friday night — erupted for three goals in the second period, then held off a furious late-game Cardinal rally in dealing SMU a 4-3 nonconference setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
Jack Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) kicked things off on a positive note for the Cardinals, scoring the only goal of the first period — his first of the year — with 6:54 remaining in period No. 1.
The Foresters knotted things up at 10:22 of the second period on a goal by David Cohen, who netted his second of the game less than two minutes later to give Lake Forest its first lead of the game, 2-1.
Owen Sikich (Wolfeboro, N.H.) pulled the Cardinals back even, 2-2, taking a feed from Stang and beating Lake Forest goalie Boyd DiClemente for his first of the season.
The deadlock did not last long, however, as Lake Forest struck 28 seconds after Sikich's tally to regain the lead, 3-2 heading into the third period.
Lake Forest padded its lead to 4-2 on a goal by Will Lebel seven minutes into the third period, but the Cardinals would not throw in the towel, getting within one, 4-3 on
Trevor Wilhelm's (St. Louis, Mo.) first collegiate goal at 19:12, but it was too little, too late.
Nick Nast (Oxnard, Calif.) — who made 38 saves in Friday's season-opening 3-3 tie with the Foresters, stopping 24 shots in Saturday's rematch, while DiClemente finished with 33 saves — including 14 in the first period.
The Cardinals (0-1-1 overall) hit the road for the first time next weekend. Saint Mary's heads to Wessman Arena in Superior, Wis., for a 7 p.m. nonconference matchup against UW-Superior next Friday, before heading to Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire, Wis., the following day for a 7 p.m. matchup against UW-Eau Claire.
