The Teams
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-1, 0-0-1)
vs.
Concordia Cobbers (0-0-1, 0-0-1)
The Vitals
Saturday, Nov. 4 • SMU Ice Arena • 2:05 p.m.
Last Action
Concordia scored two goals in the game's final two minutes — including the game-tying tally with nine seconds remaining — as the Cobbers and Cardinals tied 3-3 Friday evening.
Conference Standings
Through Saturday, November 4
This and That
The Cardinals got two goals from Colin Emans (Hutchinson, Minn.) — his first two collegiate goals — and a 34-save performance from Eric Richardson (Skokie, Ill.) in earning a 3-3 tie with Concordia Friday evening. The Cobbers scored two goals in the final two minutes — the game-tying tally with nine seconds remaining. … Todd Hangge (Rochester, Minn.) accounted for SMU’s other goal vs. the Cobbers, whlie Mark Gryniewski (Shoreview, Minn.), Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove, Ill.), Ryan Stinson (Winona, Minn.), Sam Phillips (Red Wing, Minn.) and Nick Meeker (Rochester, Minn.) all chipped in one assist. … Friday’s tie marked the second straight season that SMU has opened with a tie — the Cardinals tied Gustavus 3-3 in last year’s season-opener. … Concordia was the conference’s playoff champion a year ago, losing to UW-Superior in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
 SMU |
 Concordia |
|
|
|
| Team Roster | Team Roster |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CARDINAL PROFILEDenny O'Connor
|
 |
to settle for season-opening tie
WINONA, Minn. — Fifteen seconds.
To most, it’s a blip in their lives — such a short amount of time that it’s over before you even know it.
To Saint Mary’s University men’s hockey coach Don Olson, however, it must have seemed like an eternity.
With his team clinging to a 3-2 lead and time winding down in the third period, Olson found himself keeping one eye on the action and the other on the game clock — which seemed to be running in slow motion.
Then came those final 15 seconds — and, in the blink of an eye, the Cardinals’ bid for a thrilling, season-opening victory went up in smoke.
Concordia’s Antonio Castaneda picked up a loose puck in front of the Cardinal net and flipped a shot over a screened SMU goalie Eric Richardson’s (Skokie, Ill.) shoulder with nine ticks left on the clock, earning the Cobbers a come-from-behind 3-3 tie.
“I thought it was a good start for us,” said Olson. “We’ve got a very young team, and to come out and play the way we did — against a very good opponent — is encouraging.”
Yet, while on the one hand Olson is pleased with his team’s performance, on the other hand, he can’t help but be a little disheartened by the final outcome.
“To give up a goal in the final 10 seconds is tough,” admitted Olson, whose team was swept by the Cobbers in their season series a year ago. “I’m sure Concordia feels pretty fortunate right now to get a tie. Anytime a team can score a goal late to even things up, it’s natural that they are going to feel better about (the tie) than the team that gave up the goal.
“Once our guys get over the disappointment of that late goal, they are going to realize that there were a whole lot more positives to take from this game than negatives.”
And the Cardinals better get over that disappointment in a hurry, because less than 17 hours after Castaneda’s goal, the same two teams will be squaring off again.
“We knew before the season started that every game was going to be a battle,” Olson said. “And this was a perfect example.”
Sophomore Colin Emans (Hutchinson, Minn.) — who did not score a goal in nine games a year ago — scored SMU’s first two against the Cobbers, as the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after the first intermission.
Concordia got one back in the second, but SMU’s Todd Hangge (Rochester, Minn.) pushed the Cardinals’ lead back to two, 3-1, on a power-play goal just 1:12 into the final period.
The Cobbers were down, but not out, as Nick Bourdon made it a one-goal game with 1:52 remaining in regulation — and set the stage for Castaneda’s late-game heroics.
“It’s a long season — a long journey,” admitted Olson. “And I think we got it off on the right foot.”