Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — For just over 39 minutes Friday evening, the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team looked like a team determined to make one final run at one of the five MIAC postseason playoff spots.

The Cardinals erupted for three second-period goals and held what appeared to be a commanding 3-0 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the second period.

Then the Cardinals' bubble burst.

Concordia scored its first goal with 31 seconds remaining in the second period, then added three unanswered goals in the third period — including the game-winner with 1:53 remaining in regulation — as the Cobbers eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention with 4-3 victory at the SMU Ice Arena.

"That's a tough loss to take," said SMU coach Don Olson, whose team dropped its second straight and eighth in its last nine games. "We played so well for 39 minutes. We worked so hard, did all the little things, to put ourselves in control.

"But once we got it to 3-0, we just stopped playing. We weren't moving our feet, we weren't backchecking, we weren't being smart with the puck in our defensive zone — we just stopped playing."

The Cobbers, on the other hand, just started.

Eric Thom (Portland, Ore.) scored SMU's first two goals 10 minutes apart — the first on the powerplay and the second on a pretty three-way passing play with Ryan Holland (Winona, Minn.) and B.J. Gaustad (Portland, Ore.).

Todd Hangge (Rochester, Minn.), one of four seniors honored before the game, netted his first of the season at the 16:59 mark, and everything seemed to be going the Cardinals' way.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals' luck suddenly changed from good, to bad, to worse.

Mike Vlasak got the Cobbers on the board at the 19:29 mark of the second period and back-to-back goals by Jeff Styba midway through the third period pulled Concordia even. Andy Vix then netted the game-winner, beating SMU goalie Dave Rogalski (St. Louis Park, Minn.) with a wrist shot at 18:07.

"We had our chances — we just didn't convert," said Olson, who saw Jason Fillipp (Fox River Grove, Ill.) fail to convert a first-period penalty shot, as well as several missed opportunities from point-blank range late in the third period. "Right now we're just snakebit — no matter what we do, or how hard we work — we can't seem to get over that hump.

"I was pleased with our effort for the first 39 minutes — but the game of hockey is 60 minutes long. We aren't going to be successful if we don't play for all 60 minutes."