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Cardinal Roster
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Cardinal Statistics
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Cardinal Schedule
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MIAC Standings
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MIAC Statistics
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| 2006-2007 Records: 8-6-2 MIAC, 8-12-3 Overall |
| Last Week's Results St. Thomas 4, Saint Mary's 1 / Details Saint Mary's 4, St. Thomas 3 / Details |
| Upcoming Games: MIAC Playoffs Tues., Feb. 27: SMU at Hamline, 7:15 |
| Cardinal News and Notes: The Cardinals' win over St. Thomas on Sunday snapped SMU's eight-game losing streak vs. the Tommies. The win was SMU's first since a 3-2, 4-3 Cardinal regular-season sweep on Feb. 21-22, 2003. … The win was also the first time in their four years that SMU's 10 graduating seniors have beaten UST. … SMU's MIAC playoff appearance Tuesday will mark the seventh straight time the Cardinals have been in the conference' post-season play. SMU is one of two teams (Gustavus is the other) to qualify for all seven MIAC playoffs. … The Cardinals’ loss to St. Thomas on Friday was just the second loss in SMU’s last eight games. … Angie Kryzer (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) netted SMU’s lone goal vs. the Tommies in Friday's 4-1 loss, while Melissa Mondo (Vadnais Heights, Minn.), Rebecca Jelenc (Sheboygan, Wis.), Nicole Reynard (Hortonville, Wis.) and Rachel Harrison (Madison, Wis.) accounted for SMU's four goals on Sunday… The Cardinals gave up three second-period goals vs. UST over the weekend and have now been outscored 27-10 in the game’s middle period. … With her goal on Sunday, Mondo is now the team's leader in all three offensive categories — goals (13), assists (11) and points (24). … Mondo is currently in fourth place in career goals with 48 and points with 92. She is one goal and eight points behind Christy Hicks for No. 3 all-time. Mondo is also sitting fifth in career assists with 44, seven behind — who else? — Hicks. … The Cardinals’ win vs. St. Thomas on Sunday was their first when their opponent scores first (1-13-1). … The Cardinals have played three overtime games this season — and all three have ended in ties. |
elusive mission of finally knocking off St. Thomas
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Rebecca
Jelenc 1 G, 1 A in 4-3 win over St. Thomas |
And this year's senior class certainly has had more than their fair share of accomplishments, including four straight Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference appearances.
But one thing had eluded this year's seniors heading into Sunday's rematch against St. Thomas — a win over the Tommies.
SMU had faced UST eight times during this year's senior's tenure, and all eight times the Tommies skated away the victors.
There would be no No. 9.
The Cardinals — with their seniors leading the way — snapped that eight-game losing streak against the Tommies in dramatic fashion, scoring three times in the third period, erasing a 3-1 UST lead and giving SMU the 4-3 victory at the SMU Ice Arena.
"I am so proud of this team, and this group of seniors," said a beaming SMU coach Terry Mannor. "We talked all week about how much our seniors have accomplished during their time here — four straight conference playoff appearances at the top of the list. But the one thing they haven't done is beat St. Thomas.
"Now they can cross that off their list, too."
For nearly two and a half periods, however, it looked like St. Thomas would make it nine straight, as the Tommies' Maggie Toft scored five minutes into the third period to give UST a commanding 3-1 advantage.
But the Cardinals were not to be denied — this was one mission they were determined to accomplish.
Rebecca Jelenc (Sheboygan, Wis.) — one of the Cardinals' 10 graduating seniors — cut the Tommie gap to one, 3-2 with her third of the season on a wrist shot from the slot at 8:26. Nicole Reynard (Hortonville, Wis.) then tied the game at 3-3 six minutes later, before Rachel Harrison (Madison, Wis.) — another Cardinal senior — netted the game-winner, knocking in her own rebound with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.
And while the Cardinal offense was busy lighting up the scoreboard at one end of the ice, senior goalie Nikki Jung (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) was busy keeping the Tommies off the board at the other, stopping 24 shots — including six of the Tommies' seven third-period shots.
"This is a huge win for us, not just because it gives our seniors that feather in their cap by beating St. Thomas, but it also gives us a huge boost of confidence heading into the playoffs," said Mannor, whose team opens conference tournament play Tuesday at Hamline. "We've said all season that if we play together and play within our systems, we can beat anybody — and this game just solidifies that."