WINONA, Minn. — Just when the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team figured it had patched up all the holes and righted their sinking ship, the Cardinals sprung another leak.

After taking an important step forward by picking up a hard-earned, streak-snapping 4-3 victory Friday over Gustavus — a win that not only ended a six-game losing streak, but also gave SMU's playoff hopes a much-needed boost — the Cardinals took a giant step backwards, giving up two goals in the first period and three more in the second en route to a 5-2 loss to Gustavus Saturday evening.

"We played so well (on Friday)," said SMU coach Don Olson, whose team got a goal from Lenny Hofmann (Sartell, Minn.) midway through the third period en route to Friday's 4-3 triumph. "I really thought maybe that win would be the one to get us back on track.

"But (Saturday), we didn't come out with the same intensity, and that hurt us."

After jumping out to a 3-1 advantage on Jason Fillipp's (Fox River Grove, Ill.) goal four minutes into the third period Friday, Gustavus rallied, scoring two goals 28 seconds apart midway through the period to tie the game at 3-3.

"When they tied it up, we could have very easily just packed it in and gave up," admitted Olson. "But we didn't, we kept battling and we kept working hard, that was the key. When we got up 3-1, all the momentum was on our side. But when (Gustavus) tied it at 3-3, that momentum had shifted."

But not for long.

Hofmann beat Gustavus goalie Dan Melde from the slot just 57 seconds after Kyle Menken's game-tying goal, giving SMU the lead for good.

And their first conference win since a 4-2 win over Bethel on Nov. 23.

"We needed that win, no question," said Olson, whose team moved to 4-7-0 in the conference and 10-9-1 overall. "But I think (on Saturday), we forgot how hard we had to work to get that win.

"We didn't come out with that same type of effort, and look what happened."

In Saturday's rematch, the Gusties got on the board first Saturday, as Brian Merchant scored a power-play goal midway through the opening period. The lead was short-lived, however, as Nick Meeker (Rochester, Minn.) evened the score at 1-1 16 seconds later. Gustavus regained the lead on the first of Tom Awaijane's two goals at the 14:56 mark to take a 2-1 lead into the lockerroom after the first period.

"We played a decent first period," said Olson, whose team held a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal. "But from then on, we just stopped playing — we really became unraveled in the second period, and it cost us."

The Gusties scored three unanswered goals in the second period to take a commanding 5-1 advantage before Chris Wickersham (St. Louis Park, Minn.) closed out the scoring with 11 seconds remaining in the third period.

"This was a tough loss," said Olson. "It's frustrating, because we played so well (Friday). We've got to find a way to play like that all the time. We can't be so up and down."

* THIS AND THAT: Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove, Ill.), Lenny Hofmann (Sartell, Minn.) and Chris Wickersham (St. Louis Park, Minn.) all scored once and added two assists vs. the Gusties last weekend. … Ryan Holland (Winona, Minn.) and Nick Meeker (Rochester, Minn.) accounted for SMU's other two goals vs. the Gusties. … The Cardinals' 4-3 win over Gustavus Saturday snapped a season-high six-game losing streak. … After scoring 17 goals in his first 16 games, Al Schumacher (Oakdale, Minn.) has been held scoreless in SMU's last five games. … Schumacher's 17 goals and 24 points are team highs. … Chad Damerow (Albert Lea, Minn.) leads the team with 18 assists and is second in points with 23. … SMU has been outscored 25-14 in the first period, but the Cardinals have outscored their opponents 30-21 in the second and 37-27 in the third. … Ryne Ess (Eden Prairie, Minn.), who stopped 17 shots in Friday's win, leads the team with a 2.86 goals-against-average and an .888 save percentage.