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Saturday, December 7, 2002 |
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(Through Friday, December 6) |
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Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) scored twice — including the game-winner with less than six minutes remaining — as the Cardinals handed Concordia its first loss of the season, 3-2, Friday evening. |
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SMU got third-period, power-play goals from Christy Hicks (Bloomington, Minn.) and Jaimie Mussehl (South St. Paul, Minn.) to rally for a 4-3 win in the first game of its series with Concordia, then completed the sweep with a 2-1 win behind goals from Mussehl and Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.). |
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Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) has now scored goals in three of SMU’s last four games — including six of the last seven goals the Cardinals have scored. … Jamie Mussehl (South St. Paul, Minn.) netted her first goal of the season vs. the Cobbers Friday. … Friday’s win snapped SMU’s two-game losing streak. … The Cardinals improved to 6-1 vs. Concordia. … Eight of SMU’s 14 goals this season have come in the third period — including two vs. the Cobbers on Friday. … Friday’s loss snapped Concordia’s season-opening, six-game winning streak. |
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Junior / Forward Hometown Major |
WINONA, Minn. — A year ago, Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) rewrote the Saint Mary's University women's hockey record books, scoring 32 goals and tallying 50 points in the Cardinals' run to a second straight national tournament appearance.
Through the Cardinals' first five games this season, however, Kearns failed to record a single point — and SMU struggled to a 1-3-1 start.
Since that time, Kearns has returned to her old form — and so have the Cardinals.
Kearns collected six goals in SMU's last four games — but none have been bigger than the two she netted Friday evening in helping the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over previously unbeaten Concordia at the SMU Ice Arena.
"This was a big win for us in a lot of ways," said SMU coach Duncan Ryhorchuk. "We've been kind of snakebit lately — we've played pretty well and haven't gotten the results we've wanted. (Friday), we had two five-minute letdowns, but other than that, I felt we controlled the game and played very well."
The Cobbers grabbed the upper hand early, scoring the lone goal of the first period when Annie Knierim beat SMU goalie Missie Meemken (St. Cloud, Minn.) with a shot midway through the period.
Concordia made it 2-0 less than two minutes into the second period as Miranda Koenig took a feed from Chris Kleven and beat Meemken.
That was all the offense the Cobbers would muster against the Cardinals' senior All-American netminder — and Kearns & Co. were just getting warmed up.
"I wasn't too worried (about the two-goal deficit)," admitted Ryhorchuk. "We had two bad shifts to start the second period and (Concordia) capitalized on that, but all-in-all, I felt we were dominating play, and if we just kept at it, the goals would start coming."
And come they did.
SMU cut the Cobbers' two-goal advantage in half before the second period ended as Kearns scored the first of her two goals at the 17:19 mark.
Jamie Mussehl (South St. Paul, Minn.) pulled the Cardinals even with her first goal of the season early in the third period, and Kearns completed the comeback with her second goal, an unassisted tally with less than six minutes remaining in regulation.
"We knew Concordia was going to be a very good team," said Ryhorchuk. "We proved to ourselves that we are as good as any team in the league — now we have to continue to play at that level every night."