LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Goals came in bunches for the Saint Mary's University and Lake Forest men's hockey team's Friday evening.
 
After spotting Lake Forest an early 1-0 lead, the Cardinals rattled off three unanswered goals, only to surrender back-to-back-to-back tallies to the Foresters — the last of the three coming 2:48 into overtime — as Saint Mary's dropped a 4-3 nonconference decision in the teams' 2021-22 season-opener.
 
Lake Forest kicked things off at 4:29 of the first period, as Josh Norman beat Cardinal goalie A.J. Ruskowski (Traverse City, Mich.) for the season's first goal — and a 1-0 Forester lead.
 
Saint Mary's, however, would answer — in a big way, rattling off three consecutive power-play goals to grab a 3-1 lead.
 
Tyson Liverance (Burford, Ontario) netted SMU's first goal at 13:52 of the opening period and Ryan Stoynich (Calgary, Alberta) would give the Cardinals their first lead of the game with 30 seconds remaining in the first stanza.
 
Five minutes into the second period, the Cardinals' lead climbed to 3-1 on a Bud Winter (St. Louis, Mo.) tally.
 
That, however, would be the last time the Cardinals would light the lamp — and the Foresters were just getting warmed up.
 
Will Lebel cut the Saint Mary's lead to 3-2 before the second period ended and Josh Norman knotted the game at 3-3 midway through the third stanza to send the game into overtime — where Noah Furman beat Ruskowski with the game-winner less than three minutes in.
 
Ruskowski, making his collegiate debut in goal for the Cardinals, finished with 28 saves, while Lake Forest goalie Carson Poulin kicked out 23 Saint Mary's shots.
 
The Cardinals and Foresters will return to Alumni Arena in Lake Forest, Ill., on Saturday for the second game of the teams' two-game nonconference series. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m.