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04-05 Record: 2-3-1 MIAC / 6-8-1 Overall
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| Last Week's Results: Saint Mary's 4, Augsburg 4 / Details Saint Mary's 6, Augsburg 4 / Details |
| Upcoming Games: Sat., Jan. 22: Saint Mary's at St. John's, 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 23: Saint Mary's at St. John's, 2 p.m. |
| This and That: After snapping a 14-game winless streak vs. Augsburg (0-13-1) with a 3-2 win a year ago, SMU — with its tie and win last weekend — is now unbeaten in its last four meetings vs. the Auggies (3-0-1). … Chad Damerow (Albert Lea, Minn.) had a part in five of SMU's nine goals vs. the Auggies, scoring twice and assisting on three others. … David Gross (Grasston, Minn.) also had two goals vs. the Auggies, while Adam Gill (Rochester, Minn.) notched his first collegiate goal and his first collegiate assist among his four points last weekend. … Ryne Ess (Eden Prairie, Minn.) stopped 56 of 63 shots vs. Augsburg. … The Cardinals are now unbeaten in their last three games (2-0-1) and have gone 3-1-1 in their last five. … Saturday's win vs. Augsburg was just the second in seven home games for SMU. … Friday's OT game was the first overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, and their first overtime game since a 3-3 tie at Gustavus on Feb. 6, 2004. … SMU has been outscored 17-11 in the first period, but the Cardinals hold a 21-18 and 20-13 scoring edge in the second and third periods, respectively. |
picks up three keys conference points with tie, victory
WINONA, Minn. — This time around, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team wasn't about to let history repeat itself.
Last Friday evening, the Cardinals scored once in the first period and three times in the second to take a 4-3 lead into the final 20 minutes, only to have Augsburg score with 32 seconds remaining in regulation to pull out a 4-4 tie.
In the teams' rematch Saturday at the SMU Ice Arena, the Cardinals once again scored once in the first and three times in the second – and once again held a 4-3 advantage heading into the game's final period.
That, however, is where the similarities stop, as SMU got third-period goals from David Gross (Grasston, Minn.) and John Paul (St. Paul, Minn.) before the third period was even four minutes old en route to a 6-4 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win.
Chad Damerow (Albert Lea, Minn.) got SMU on the board first at the 6:29 mark of the first period Saturday as SMU — for the second night in a row — held a 1-0 lead after one period.
Augsburg responded with back-to-back goals from Greg May and Steve Collova to take a 2-1 lead early in the second, but three straight goals from the Cardinals — one by Damerow, one by Ryan Spencer (Winona, Minn.) and one from Paul — put SMU back on top 4-2. Danny Carlson, however, would pull the Auggies back to within one, 4-3, before the second period ended, leaving SMU coach Don Olson with a feeling of deja vu.
"I think we were still a little shell-shocked from (Friday's game)," admitted Olson. "We didn't play exceptionally well in the first two periods (Saturday) — we skated around with no energy , we looked like we were in a trance."
Fortunately for Olson, the Cardinals snapped out of their self-induced trance in the nick of time.
Ryne Ess (Eden Prairie, Minn.), who stopped 41 shots in Friday's overtime tie, wasn't as busy Saturday, as the senior stopped 15 of the 19 shots he faced.
"I was proud of the way we bounced back (on Saturday), especially after the way Friday's game ended," said Olson, whose team now travels to St. Cloud to take on league-leading and unbeaten St. John's in an MIAC series next Saturday and Sunday. "To come away with three (out of a possible four) points on the weekend was big.
"But we are going to need to play better," continued Olson. "The road doesn't get any easier, that's for sure."