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Friday, February 20, 2004 |
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(Through Thursday, February 19) |
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SMU got scoring from six different players in splitting its MIAC series with Concordia last weekend, winning 4-3 and losing 3-2. … Hamline picked up its first two wins of the year lastweekend, routing Northland 11-2 and 9-3 in the teams’ non- conference series. |
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Hamline scored four third-period goals to post a 6-5 win and complete a sweep of the Cardinals last season. The Pipers won the first game 7-4. |
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SMU’s 15 MIAC points are one behind Gustavus, two in front of fifth-place Augsburg and four in front of sixth-place St. Olaf in the race for one of five playoff spots. A sweep of Hamline would lock the Cardinals into fourth place — and earn them their first post-season berth since the 1996-97 season. … A split vs. the Pipers would still earn SMU a playoff berth, while a split and a St. Olaf loss would still give SMU the No. 4 slot. … The Cardinals had six different players score their six goals vs. Concordia. … Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove, Ill.) led the team with three points vs. the Cobbers. … Fillipp leads the team in goals (14), while Lenny Hofmann (Sartell, Minn.) is the team-leader in assists (18) and points (20). Both are career highs for Hofmann. … Nine of SMU's 12 wins have come on the Cardinals' home ice. … SMU has outscored its opponents 31-22 in the third period. |
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Year Hometown |
about to take Hamline lightly in final regular season series
WINONA, Minn. — Coming from behind has been something the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team has gotten pretty good at.
Hanging on to leads, on the other hand, hasn't.
The Cardinals let a 2-1 second-period lead slip through their fingers last Saturday afternoon, as Concordia scored twice in the last 11 minutes of the second period en route to a 3-2 win over SMU, keeping the Cobbers' slim MIAC post-season playoffs hopes alive, while keeping the Cardinals' hopes hanging by a thread.
Albeit a very thick thread.
The Cardinals are currently in fourth place in the MIAC with a 7-6-1 MIAC record and 15 points. They are one point behind third-place Gustavus, two in front of fifth-place Augsburg and four in front of sixth-place St. Olaf.
However … .
SMU has just two conference games left — this weekend against Hamline (winless in 12 MIAC games this season) — while Gustavus, sixth-place St. Olaf and seventh-place Concordia all have four MIAC games remaining. One win against the Pipers, and SMU is assured its first MIAC post-season tournament berth since the 1996-97 season. A sweep vs. Hamline, and the Cardinals lock up the fourth-place slot — and home ice for the Tuesday, March 4, game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.
"We need to just go out and take care of our business," said SMU coach Don Olson. "Getting three out of four points (against Gustavus two weekends ago) and getting a split and two points (against Concordia) has put us in pretty good shape.
"We control our own destiny, but we aren't going to get too caught up in all that — we can't worry about anything but going out and playing to the best of our ability.
"I thought we played fairly well this weekend," continued Olson. "We battled and worked hard, it was one of those series that could have gone either way."
On Friday, it went the Cardinals way — as Chad Damerow (Albert Lea, Minn.), Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove, Ill.) and Lenny Hofmann (Sartell, Minn.) scored in the first 12 minutes of the third period to give SMU the come-from-behind win.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, on Saturday, it went the Cobbers' way — as Concordia got goals from Brice Berggren and Matt Hanson two minutes apart midway through the second period to seal the win.
"At the beginning of the year I said that the conference was going to be so balanced from top to bottom, and with two weeks to go, seven teams still have a shot (at making the playoffs)," said Olson. "We've put ourselves in position to be one of those teams — now we need to go out and put our best game on the ice (against Hamline). We do that, and we'll be just fine."
Fine — and in the playoffs.