Parkhurst finished with an overall score of 302 for the tournament, tied for 36th. Kapraun finished the tournament with a total score of 299, which tied him for 27th place.

The St. Thomas men’s team finished with a total score of +41 (613), after missing the cut following Wednesday’s second round.

“To go in back-to-back years is quite an achievement for the team,” coach Scott Proshek said after the tournament. “The guys gave it their all; we just fell short.”

Parkhurst started Friday off strong, draining a birdie on the first hole. He also recorded a birdie on the fifth hole, but would double bogey the ninth to finish the front nine at +1. Parkhurst bogied the tenth hole, but answered quickly with a birdie on the 12th and finished Friday’s round +1. At the 2012 national tournament, Parkhurst shot 303 and tied for 40th.

“He finished strong on his last few holes,” Proshek said. “I was very pleased with how he ended his career.”

Kapraun started Friday with bogies on the second and third hole, but parred seven consecutive holes with a birdie on the 11th. At last year’s nationals, Kapraun shot 297 and tied for 14th. Kapraun was happy his team qualified for the tournament in back-to-back years.

“It’s a really big deal for us,” Kapraun said. “Overall, it was a great experience and I hope we’re able to make it back next year.”

O’Brien finishes tied for 10th at women’s golf nationals

Women’s golfer Doyle O’Brien finished tied for 10th place out of a field of 111 golfers Friday at the NCAA D-III women’s golf championships tournament in Destin, Fla.

O’Brien finished the final day of the tournament by shooting +5 and finishing with a score of 77. O’Brien started with a double bogey on the second hole, but recovered and shot a birdie on the third hole. She also birdied on the 15th and bogied holes six, seven, nine, 13, and 18.

O’Brien posted a four-day score of 313, which was +25.

“She played four very consistent days,” coach Sara Evens said. “Her goal was to place in the top ten and she did that, finishing tied for tenth.”

O’Brien could not be reached for a comment.

Last year at nationals, O’Brien, a transfer student, competed for St. Mary’s (Ind.) and finished tied for 6th place. She shot a total score of 307 and her score on the third day of the tournament was the best in the field of competitors.

“She realizes she’s a leader,” Evens said. “I know she would really like to see the team make it to the tournament.”

Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.

Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart midway through the second period and Pavel Datsyuk restored a two-goal lead in the third to help Detroit beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 Monday night and take a 2-1 lead in the second round series.

As good as the Red Wings have looked – scoring six straight goals to earn momentum in the matchup – their hard-driving coach isn’t ready to celebrate.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” Mike Babcock said.

That’s an understatement. If the seventh-seeded Red Wings keep playing like they are, the top-seeded Blackhawks will have a long offseason to wonder what went wrong in a season that looked like it was going to be special.

On Thursday night at home in Game 4, Detroit has a shot to put Chicago on the brink of elimination.

“It takes something like this to slap you in the face, so to speak, to really understand what adversity is and how tough the playoffs can be,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “A lot of guys in this room have been in tough positions before in the playoffs and that’s never stopped us. We know this is a long series and we’re going to be fighting until the end.”

Chicago’s chances will improve if Toews can end his goal-scoring skid.

He doesn’t have a goal in nine playoff games, dating to last year. He matched Patrick Kane with a team-high 23 goals in the 48-game, lockout-shortened season.

Toews did have a game-high seven shots in Game 3, but Jimmy Howard and his backchecking, shot-blocking teammates wouldn’t let him end his drought.

“I’m not going to let it get the best of me,” Toews said. “I know I’m doing good things. I’m very confident that it’s going to come.”

Kane scored 4:35 into the third period to pull Chicago within one. About a minute later, the Blackhawks celebrated as if they tied the game, but Andrew Shaw’s goal was waved off because he was in the crease.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said he disagreed with the call that negated Shaw’s game-tying score.

“He didn’t touch the goalie,” Quenneville said.

And Chicago’s goalie, Corey Crawford, couldn’t touch Datsyuk’s shot 6:46 into the final period that went in and out of the net before he saw it. Crawford finished with 27 saves.

Howard stopped 39 shots.

Chicago has lost consecutive games for the first time in nearly two months.

The Blackhawks began the lockout-delayed season by setting an NHL record with at least a point in their first 24 games, ended it with a league-high 77 points and avoided having a three-game losing streak.

“The team is facing a little adversity and I am on a personal basis,” Toews said. “Not going to let that stop us or me.”

After a scoreless first period in a hot and steamy Joe Louis Arena, Detroit took a 2-0 lead with a pretty goal and a gritty one.

Nyquist patiently carried the puck from right to left and waited for defenseman Brent Seabrook and Crawford to sprawl out to make a shot before shooting the puck into the open net.

“He’s real good at hanging onto the puck,” Babcock said.

Miller crashed the net to stuff the puck into the net after Patrick Eaves got to his own rebound to keep pressure on Crawford. Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival started the sequence with a turnover in the Chicago end.

It was a sixth straight goal for the Red Wings, who lost the series opener 4-1 and gave up the first goal of Game 2 before going on to even the series with a 4-1 victory.

“They’re a real good team and they’re going to carry the play at times,” Babcock said. “We’re a good team and we’re going to carry the play at times.”

With the win, the Tommies capped off a perfect season (18-0) en route to the team’s fourth title in five years. Palermo was named the championship game’s Most Valuable Player.

The St. Thomas men’s club lacrosse team' captured it's third-straight championship trophy in a 9-7 victory over Westminster (Va.) Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Joe Palermo)

“It’s an unexplainable feeling. We all have worked so hard this year to reach our ultimate goal of another national title,” Palermo said. “Getting MVP is just the cherry on top.”

Attacker Peter Carbonneau said the win was an “unreal feeling.”

“Coming out on top makes all of those nights missed out with friends due to late practices more than worth it,” Carbonneau said. “I love all these guys and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Coach Peter Moosbrugger said the team set its sights high early on in the season.

“(It) feels phenomenal,” Moosbrugger said. “We set our goals at the beginning of the season with our sights on first winning a conference championship, and then from there winning a national championship.”

St. Thomas answered the Griffins’ early goal, opening the scoring with a tally from attacker David Burke midway through the first quarter. The Tommies looked to get their offense rolling, but the Griffins maintained possession of the ball for the majority of the quarter. St. Thomas and Westminster were tied 1-1 heading into the second quarter.

Carbonneau scored a backhanded goal early in the second quarter, giving the Tommies their first lead of the game. Carbonneau was selected to the MCLA DII First Team All-Tournament team, along with midfielder Matt Kleven, after the victory.

The Tommies scored three more goals in the quarter, capped by midfielder John-Michael Coon’s bullet that gave the Tommies a 5-1 lead halfway through the second quarter.

St. Thomas led 5-3 heading into halftime and outshot Westminster 17-15 in the first half.

Plagued with penalties throughout the third quarter, the Tommies saw their lead diminish as the Griffins scored on a power-play, knotting the score at five with six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Burke and Palermo combined for two goals in six seconds to give the Tommies a cushion and much needed push during the winding minutes of an aggressive third quarter.

Palermo added his second goal of the game midway through the fourth quarter to give St. Thomas an 8-6 lead. The Griffins cut the Tommie’s lead to one just minutes later, but Kleven put the game out of reach, burying St. Thomas’ ninth and final goal with five minutes remaining.

The Tommies rode out strong play in the cage from goaltender Steven Bang and a tough defensive effort in the final minutes to secure the championship title.

Carbonneau said the team’s camaraderie, in part, led to its success.

“I’m going to miss the guys. The fact that all 40 of them would do anything for me and always have my back, it’s pretty special to be part of something like that,” Carbonneau said.

With the title under its belt, Moosbrugger said the team will savor the victory and look ahead to next season with high hopes.

“We are going to enjoy this summer as champions and then get ready to start the next chapter come fall,” Moosbrugger said.

Andrew Stafford can be reached at staf7499@stthomas.edu.

The top-seeded St. Thomas baseball team hit the ball hard the entire day but couldn’t seem to catch a break, falling to fourth-seeded Case Western (Ohio) 7-3 Friday in an NCAA Midwest Regional elimination game in Whitewater, Wis.

The Tommies finished the season with a record of 34-7, including a 1-2 record in the regional.

“We hit some balls hard and they just didn’t fall,” coach Chris Olean said. “When your hits aren’t falling it makes it really tough to put some offense together, but I’m proud of them, they competed.”

The Tommies recorded only six hits on the afternoon. Center fielder Ben Podobinski went 1-for-2 with an RBI double, a walk and a run scored for an offense that sputtered much of the afternoon.

“I just want to thank the seniors; every one of them stepped up,” Podobinski said. “It makes me want to come back harder next year, work hard in the summer and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

The Tommies gave up three runs in the second inning, two of which were unearned. Right fielder Ryan Gerber answered in the third inning with a leadoff single to right field and later scored on a double-play ball.

All-American pitcher/designated hitter Dylan Thomas hit an RBI sac-fly to left field to score Podobinski in the top of the sixth inning and pulled the Tommies within 4-2.

Thomas is one of four seniors who leave the St. Thomas program this year, along with pitchers Josh Kubitschek, Mark Dominik and shortstop Jon Kinsel.

“It’s tough to talk about, but I love these guys and they’ve always been there and have always backed me up,” Thomas said. “The fact that I’ve made such great friendships just in these past two years is fantastic, and that’s what I’ll remember most.”

The Tommies surrendered two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but just as they did in the third inning, answered in the top of the seventh inning with a Podobinski RBI double to left field.

“We wanted to see some pitches from (Spartan pitcher Kevin Johnstone); he was getting up in the pitch count,” Podobinski said. “I was just looking for a fastball, trying to drive it, not pull off of it and drive it the other way.”

First baseman Tyler Peterson hit a moonshot to deep left field in the eighth inning, that without the wind, likely could have cleared the fence.

The Tommies threatened in the ninth inning, putting two runners on with none out. After pinch hitter Christiaan Wabers’ double play, right fielder Kelvin Stroik grounded out to the pitcher to end the game and St. Thomas’ season.

“We played good all year. We had a pretty tough schedule,” Olean said. “We had a lot of guys step up.”

Olean was proud of the his seniors and all that they did for the program in their time.

“It was especially pleasing to me just in terms of their development,” Olean said. “They all contributed in a big way and we’ll certainly miss ‘em.”

Kyle Jonas can be reached at jona7984@stthomas.edu.

This is Sports in :60 for Friday, May 17, 2013.

Coach Glenn Caruso, quarterback Matt O’Connell and defensive lineman Riley Dombek join reporter Jesse Krull in The Locker Room to talk about the team’s upcoming fall season.

St. Thomas will look to secure its fourth MCLA National Championship title in the last five years at 4 p.m. Saturday at Sirrine Stadium.

After an early Liberty goal to start the game, St. Thomas answered on a goal from attacker Peter Carbonneau to put the Tommies on the board. A second Carbonneau goal later in the quarter, along with a goal from midfielder Matt Kleven left the Tommies and Flames tied 3-3 at the end of the first.

A goal from attacker David Burke helped kick off a second quarter scoring surge for the Tommies. Midfielder Ben Lucius’ nifty backhand goal pushed the Tommie lead to 5-3. The goal was Lucius’ first of the MCLA tournament.

A pair of goals later in the quarter from midfielder David Chlipala gave St. Thomas a commanding 7-3 lead before an eighth from midfielder John Michael Coon was added to give the Tommies an 8-4 lead heading into the second half.

The offense continued to click early for St. Thomas as the team outshot Liberty 19-9 in the first half. Goalie Ryan Zeilinger made a lone save on five Flames shots before goalie Steven Bang replaced him to start the second half.

The Flames lived up to their name, coming out hot to open the second half, scoring two quick goals to cut the Tommies’ lead to only two in the third quarter. Burke added his second goal to put the Tommies up 9-6. St. Thomas dominated the first three quarters of the game, outshooting Liberty 42-17 heading into the fourth.

Liberty came out firing in the fourth quarter adding three goals to tie the game at nine and forcing sudden death overtime. Bang stood tall in the cage, stopping six Liberty shots on 11 attempts, including a crucial save out in front of the net late in the fourth quarter.

Hersman’s early overtime tally cemented the Tommies’ place in Saturday’s title match.

St. Thomas (16-0) will have Friday off to prepare for its championship matchup against Westminster (Va.) at 4 p.m. The Griffins clinched a title berth after defeating St. John’s (Minn.) 9-8 in triple overtime earlier Thursday.

Andrew Stafford can be reached at staf7499@stthomas.edu.

WHITEWATER, Wis. — The top-seeded St. Thomas baseball team went into Thursday’s must-win game against Benedictine (Ill.) knowing it needed to accomplish two things: have timely hitting and a strong pitching performance. Check and check.

Sophomore pitcher Colin Wendinger didn’t let the pressure of an elimination game phase him, throwing six scoreless innings en route to a 10-1 victory in an NCAA midwest regional play.

The right-hander struck out six batters, scattering three hits and one walk.

“He was in command the entire game and had good control of his two-seam fastball,” coach Chris Olean said. “For him to get through six innings on about 65 pitches, that’s really good for us just in terms of being able to bring him back potentially.”

St. Thomas’ bats came alive in the second inning with back-to-back doubles from left fielder Tim Kuzniar and third baseman Jack Hogan. Second baseman Sam Miller followed with an RBI groundout to score the team’s first run of the tournament.

“With runners in scoring position, I’m just trying to sit back on my back foot and put the ball up the middle,” Miller said. “The difference between today and yesterday is that we just came out and played like we know we can.”

Yesterday against St. Scholastica, St. Thomas couldn’t muster a clutch hit, stranding nine runners on base.

The Tommies added two more runs in the inning on a bases-loaded walk by first baseman Tyler Peterson and an RBI single by catcher J.D. Dorgan. Dorgan racked up three hits and four RBI, and was a wall behind the plate the entire game.

Defensively, the Tommies were solid throughout, turning three double plays and committing only one error.

“They came out to play today and really got the job done for us,” Wendinger said about his defense. “I feel confident throwing anything with the guys I have behind me.”

With two outs in the sixth, St. Thomas broke the game wide open with a single by shortstop Jon Kinsel that scored center fielder Ben Podobinski on a throwing error. Peterson and Dorgan each ripped in another run to give the Tommies a 6-0 lead after six innings. Peterson went 2-for-5 with three RBI and scored two runs.

Olean said he was pleased with his team’s effort on the diamond Thursday.

“Today was more like what we can do,” Olean said. “We had constant pressure throughout the game, scored a few runs here and a few runs there and looked up and had a pretty good score.”

St. Thomas had 18 hits and five walks, while only striking out five times. Podobinski was on fire, going 4-for-5 with a walk and crossing home plate three times. Other contributors for the Tommie offense included Kinsel: 3-for-4 with two walks; Kuzniar and Hogan each went 2-for-5 at the dish.

“As a team focus point we want to play loose, when we play tight we just don’t play well,” Wendinger said. “If we come out loose and play our game, we’ll be just fine.”

Tommie pitching gave Eagle batters fits all afternoon. Pitcher Tommy Danczyk threw two shutout innings and pitcher Greg Clute threw one inning, allowing one unearned run.

St. Thomas will be back in action at 3 p.m. Friday against Case Western in an elimination game.

“I think whatever we did today we need to step it up another notch, and certainly have to bring a little more tomorrow,” Olean said.

If victorious on Friday, St. Thomas could play Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wisconsin.-Whitewater or St. Scholastica.

Kyle Jonas can be reached at jona7984@stthomas.edu.

This is Sports in :60 for Thursday, May 16, 2013.

Team accomplishments

Securing the program’s 10th straight MIAC playoff title, the team’s 20-0 record earned it a spot in the regional round of the NCAA tournament.

Tommie softball was in the Division III playoffs for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons and 20th time overall. It won NCAA crowns in 2004 and 2005 and a runner-up finish in 2006. Tommie softball has a combined MIAC/NCAA postseason record of 87-39.

This season marked coach John Tschida’s eighth 40-win season in the last nine years. The team also posted a 26-game win streak. St. Thomas softball still hasn’t posted a losing season in the program’s 35-year history and are 77-1 in conference regular-season play since an April 2010 split.

Teammates huddle around home plate as catcher Emily Gregory rounds the bases after her home run against Washington University-St. Louis in the NCAA tournament. Gregory was named All-MIAC this season. (Andrew Stafford/TommieMedia)

The Tommies have won 30 or more games in each of the last 14 seasons.

Individual accomplishments

The Tommies looked to sophomore pitcher Kendra Bowe for strength on the mound. Bowe received the MIAC Pitcher of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, and she made the MIAC playoffs’ all-tournament team. Going 20-4 with two saves in 33 appearances and 19 starts, Bowe’s 136.1 innings pitched kept the Tommies moving forward. She had a 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio on the year.

In middle infield, Jenna Hoffman’s leadership proved vital for the Tommies. Hoffman received a spot on the MIAC playoffs’ all-tournament team and was named the conference playoffs’ MVP in her third season with the Tommies. Hoffman hit .415 on the season with 12 homers and 42 RBI. In the field, she registered a .932 fielding percentage with 71 putouts. Hoffman was named to the all-conference team for her 2013 season successes.

All-American second baseman Kimmy Hassel kept the team moving forward in the season with strong performances at the plate, batting .449 in her final season in Tommie purple. Hassel crossed the plate 49 times for the Tommies, just four shy of team-leader Hoffman.

Hassel was named first-team all-conference with teammates Bowe, Hoffman and catcher Emily Gregory. Pitcher Brianna Bannon and shortstop McKenzie Wergin received second-team all conference selections.

Gregory was a crucial component to the Tommies’ offense, posting a .437 average, 12 homers and a team-high 59 RBI. Gregory, a junior, has 29 career home runs, fourth-most in conference history. Going hand-in-hand with Gregory’s strength behind the plate was her team-leading 166 putouts.

In March, after 13 seasons with the team, Tschida surpassed 700 wins as a coach.

What’s next?

The 2014 season looks to be another promising year for the Tommies. With five starters graduating, the team retains 34 players from this year. The most notable loss will come with Hassel.

Of those returning, Hoffman and Gregory will lead the team offensively with outfielder McKenzie Wergin also taking charge.

Bowe will be a catalyst in helping the team kickstart another successful season. Fellow pitcher Bannon should give St. Thomas another 1-2 punch on the mound to rival any other conference foe.

Sean Crotty can be reached at crot0230@stthomas.edu.