|
For PDF version / click here |
|
Saturday, February 8, 2003 |
|
(Through Friday, February 7) |
|
Concordia scored four unanswered goals — two by Jeff Styba — as the Cobbers rallied from a 3-0 second-period deficit to beat the Cardinals 4-3 Friday evening, eliminating SMU from the MIAC playoff picture. |
|
Needing a win to earn a spot in the MIAC playoffs, the Cardinals pulled their goalie midway through the five-minute overtime period, only to have Concordia's Andy Crook score an empty-net goal to beat SMU 4-3 to complete a two-game sweep of the Cardinals. The Cobbers had beaten SMU 5-3 in Game 1. |
|
Eric Thom (Portland, Ore.) recorded his first two-goal game of the season, netting SMU’s first two goals vs. Concordia Friday night. … Todd Hangge (Rochester, Minn.) netted his first goal of the season to account for the Cardinals’ third goal Friday. … B.J. Gaustad (Portland, Ore.) picked up a pair of assists Friday. … Jeff Styba scored two of Concordia’s four goals vs. SMU. … Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove, Ill.) was awarded the Cardinals’ first penalty shot of the season in the first period Friday. … The loss was SMU’s second straight and eighth in its last nine games. … Concordia, meanwhile, won its second straight and fourth in its last five games. … The Cardinals’ three second-period goals give them a 33-22 scoring edge in the game’s second 20 minutes. SMU has also outscored its opponents in the third period (37-30). … Friday’s loss was just the Cardinals’ fourth in 11 games on their home ice. … SMU outshot the Cobbers 21-13 through two periods — including 15-4 in the second period — but were outshot 14-10 in the decisive third period. |
vs. 
 |
Junior / Forward Hometown Major |
WINONA, Minn. — For just over 39 minutes Friday evening, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team looked like a team determined to make one final run at one of the five MIAC postseason playoff spots.
The Cardinals erupted for three second-period goals and held what appeared to be a commanding 3-0 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the second period.
Then the Cardinals' bubble burst.
Concordia scored its first goal with 31 seconds remaining in the second period, then added three unanswered goals in the third period — including the game-winner with 1:53 remaining in regulation — as the Cobbers eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention with 4-3 victory at the SMU Ice Arena.
"That's a tough loss to take," said SMU coach Don Olson, whose team dropped its second straight and eighth in its last nine games. "We played so well for 39 minutes. We worked so hard, did all the little things, to put ourselves in control.
"But once we got it to 3-0, we just stopped playing. We weren't moving our feet, we weren't backchecking, we weren't being smart with the puck in our defensive zone — we just stopped playing."
The Cobbers, on the other hand, just started.
Eric Thom (Portland, Ore.) scored SMU's first two goals 10 minutes apart — the first on the powerplay and the second on a pretty three-way passing play with Ryan Holland (Winona, Minn.) and B.J. Gaustad (Portland, Ore.).
Todd Hangge (Rochester, Minn.), one of four seniors honored before the game, netted his first of the season at the 16:59 mark, and everything seemed to be going the Cardinals' way.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals' luck suddenly changed from good, to bad, to worse.
Mike Vlasak got the Cobbers on the board at the 19:29 mark of the second period and back-to-back goals by Jeff Styba midway through the third period pulled Concordia even. Andy Vix then netted the game-winner, beating SMU goalie Dave Rogalski (St. Louis Park, Minn.) with a wrist shot at 18:07.
"We had our chances — we just didn't convert," said Olson, who saw Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove, Ill.) fail to convert a first-period penalty shot, as well as several missed opportunities from point-blank range late in the third period. "Right now we're just snakebit — no matter what we do, or how hard we work — we can't seem to get over that hump.
"I was pleased with our effort for the first 39 minutes — but the game of hockey is 60 minutes long. We aren't going to be successful if we don't play for all 60 minutes."