|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
2003-2004 Record: 0-0-0 MIAC / 1-1-1 Overall
|
| Last Week's Results: Sat., Nov. 15: Saint Mary's 1, UW-Eau Claire 0 |
| Upcoming Games: Sat., Nov. 22: at Concordia, 4 p.m. Sun., Nov. 23: at Concordia, Noon |
| This and That: After assisting on three of SMU's first four goals, Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) — who led the Cardinals in scoring a year ago with 24 goals and 27 points — notched her first goal of the season Saturday, the only goal of the game in SMU's 1-0 win over UW-Eau Claire. … Jessica Ribish (Elm Grove, Wis.) assisted on Kearns' goal, and has had at least one point in each of SMU's first three games. … Nikki Jung (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) posted her first collegiate shutout vs. the Blugolds, stopping all 19 shots she faced. … Saturday's win avenged a pair of shutout losses to the Blugolds a year ago (2-0 and 3-0), and improved their all-time record vs. UW-Eau Claire to 3-2. |
WINONA, Minn. — One thing Duncan Ryhorchuk did not want as his Saint Mary's University women's hockey team headed into this weekend's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener against Concordia, was for the Cardinals to still be searching for their first win of the season.
Emily Kearns (Hopkins, Minn.) and Nikki Jung (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) made sure the Cardinals' search this weekend against the Cobbers would be for their first two-game winning streak, not their first win.
Kearns accounted for the only scoring in the game, and Jung stopped all 19 shots she faced for her first career shutout, as SMU earned that elusive first win with a 1-0 victory over UW-Eau Claire last Saturday.
"It was a good overall team performance," said Ryhorchuk. "We didn't play that poorly last week (in a 3-2 loss and a 2-2 tie vs. Lake Forest), but we didn't sustain a high level for an entire game — there were too many ups and downs.
"(Against Eau Claire) we played well from start to finish."
And start the Cardinals did, as Kearns netted her first goal of the season just 28 seconds into the opening period.
From there, however, the SMU offense was silenced, and it was time for Jung to step into the spotlight.
UW-Eau Claire actually had the advantage in shots on goal in the first period, peppering Jung with eight shots, compared to the Cardinals' five, but it was Kearns who made one of those shots count, taking a feed from Jessica Ribish (Elm Grove, Wis.) and whistle a shot past UWEC goalie Tara Berlute just before the first period ended.
The Cardinals outshot the Blugold 13-5 in the second period, but couldn't get another one past Berlute, while Jung did her part at the other end, stopping five shots in the second period and six more in the third for a 19-save shutout performance.
"Nikki played well," said Ryhorchuk of his freshman goalie. "Our defense did a nice job of clearing away the rebounds, so (Jung) only had to focus on making the first save.
"It's nice to get that first win tucked way — especially with conference games (against Concordia) coming up," continued Ryhorchuk. "But that was just one game, we need to make sure we play like that all the time."