Game Summary

ST. PAUL, Minn. — For some reason, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team decided to be generous to its opponents over the team's last four games.

And while generosity in general is a good thing, giving away leads on the ice isn't.

For the third time in their last four games, the Cardinals carried at least a two-goal lead into the third period, only to give the lead — and on two of the three occasions, the game — away.

Last weekend, SMU held a 3-0 advantage over Concordia, only to surrender four unanswered goals, including three in the third period, in losing 4-3.

A day later, the Cardinals scored the game's first four goals, but needed B.J. Gaustad's (Portland, Ore.) overtime goal to pull out a 5-4 win.

Saturday evening in their season-finale against Hamline, the Cardinals were once again 20 minutes away from certain victory, boasting a 4-2 cushion.

In those 20 minutes, however, Hamline made the most of its scoring opportunities, netting four goals on just nine shots en route to a 6-5 victory.

"It was a tough way to end the season," admitted SMU coach Don Olson, whose team put itself behind the eight ball early in Friday's first game of its series against the Pipers, giving up five goals on eight shots in losing 7-4. "This weekend was a perfect example of the way our season has been — up and down. On Friday, we come out flat and before we know it, we're down 4-0. Then (Saturday), we come out flying, get out to a 2-0 lead, then fall apart in the third period.

"I don't know what it is about us and third periods lately," continued Olson. "We work so hard to get into position to win, then we just aren't able finish what we started."

Eric Thom (Portland, Ore.) and Todd Hangge (Rochester, Minn.) scored three minutes apart late in the first period Saturday, giving SMU its first two-goal lead of the game.

The two teams traded goals in the second period, with Hangge and Lenny Hofmann (Sartell, Minn.) accounting for SMU's, as the Cardinals went into the lockerroom after two periods leading 4-2.

Hamline tied the game before the seven minute mark of the third period, but Devin Bloom (Hartford, S.D.) scored his first of the season at 9:01 to give the Cardinals the lead again, 5-4. That lead, however, was short-lived, as Hamline's Mike Froroni tied the game with a powerplay goal, and Jim Deschene netted the game-winner three minutes later.

"Obviously, things didn't work out the way we would have liked this season," said Olson, whose team dropped 10 of its last 12 conference games in finishing 5-11-0 in the MIAC and 10-13-1 overall. "The frustrating part is, we were that close … so many games where a break here or there and it's a win, not a loss.

"This team worked so hard all season, it's unfortunate that they weren't rewarded a little more for those efforts."