Women's Hockey 2/19/05 -- Augsburg 3, St. Mary's 1

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (2/19/05) -- Jocelyn Cookson (Jr., Edina, Minn./Bloomington Jefferson HS) scored two goals, while Stacy Anderson (So., Lafayette, Calif./Marina HS) notched the other Augsburg College tally, as the Auggies scored a 3-1 victory over St. Mary's University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's hockey game Saturday afternoon at the Augsburg Ice Arena.

Amanda Bockmann (Fr., Wind Lake, Wis./Muskego HS) made 21 saves in goal to pick up the victory for the Auggies, who broke a six-game winless streak (0-5-1) to improve to 11-9-3 overall, 8-7-1 in MIAC play.

More importantly, the Auggies gained some separation from their rivals in pursuit of a spot in the five-team MIAC playoffs. Though the Auggies did not clinch a spot in the playoffs, they did gain a three-point advantage on St. Mary's (9-12-2 overall, 6-8-2 MIAC) for fourth place.

Augsburg finishes the regular season with a series against ninth-place Hamline, while St. Mary's finishes the regular season next weekend with a series against eighth-place Concordia-Moorhead. St. Benedict and Bethel, the two teams that also have mathematical shots at the final two playoff berths, face each other in a series next weekend.

Augsburg took an early lead on Cookson's first goal of the game, from Carrie Velenchenko (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Jana Ford (Sr., Eagan, Minn.), at the 6:21 mark of the period.

Anderson gave the Auggies a 2-0 lead with her second goal of the weekend at the 8:49 mark of the second period. Melynda Kleewein (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska/Dimond HS) notched her team-high 20th assist of the season with the helper.

But St. Mary's hung tough, with a goal from Jenny Hocum (Sr., Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) just 2:16 later. Rachel Harrison (So., Madison, Wis./West HS) and Jenn Shire (Fr., Anaheim Hills, Calif./El Dorado HS) assisted on the goal.

Augsburg clinched the game in the third period, as Cookson picked up her second goal of the game on the power play, from Laura Prasek (Sr., Fridley, Minn.), at the 3:19 mark. It was Cookson's fourth power-play goal of the season, and marks her fourth multiple-goal game of the season.

Augsburg outshot St. Mary's by a 38-22 margin; on the weekend, the Auggies outshot St. Mary's by a 68-33 margin. Nikki Jung (So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) made 35 saves in net for St. Mary's.

Augsburg opens its series with Hamline next Thursday (2/24) at 7:05 p.m. at the Augsburg Ice Arena, and faces the Pipers on the road on Saturday (2/26) at 4 p.m. at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum in St. Paul. St. Mary's has both games next weekend at home against Concordia-Moorhead, on Friday (2/25) at 7 p.m. adn Saturday at 2:05 p.m.