SUPERIOR, Wis. – In the midst of a six-game stretch of non-conference opponents, head coach Matt Marchel is proud of where his Finlandia Lions women’s hockey team is at, despite getting swept last weekend at home by Concordia-Moorhead.

The Lions (2-8-1 overall) were just a shot or two away both games, losing 2-0 on Friday night. and 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.

In the Friday night game, the Lions had multiple looks at odd-man rushes and breakaways, but Cobbers goaltender Amy Jost stood tall, making saves on every single rush.

Marchel especially liked the effort his team gave.

“We played really good on Friday, we just couldn’t score,” said Marchel. “We had four or five clear-cut breakaways, and just didn’t score goals. It sucks to lose and it really sucks to get shut out, but I had to convince [the ladies] that that was a good game for us.”

Sophomore Annah Smiddy was also strong in net, stopping 32 Cobbers’ shots over the course of the contest. Marchel is happy with where her game is at, despite the fact that she has seen a heavy workload to this point.

“I feel like I need to give her a break, but at the same time, she obviously is a competitor,” said Marchel. “She wants to be in there every night. She doesn’t want to watch or take a back seat at all. She can handle the workload.”

In Saturday’s contest, which was played at noon, the Lions were not quite as sharp as they had been on Friday. Despite the lack of crispness, the Lions found themselves just one goal back with 39 seconds left after captain Sierra Meiners found the back of the net.

Marchel felt good about the fight his team showed throughout the contest.

One of the key moments in the weekend was a huge blocked shot by sophomore defenseman Jordan Thoma, who had missed a few games with an injury. With Smiddy pulled and the Lions pressing offensively, a turnover sent Moorhead the other way quickly. Thoma blocked a shot headed for the empty net, keeping the game in reach with 10 seconds left in the contest.

The key blocked shot is another in a stretch of key blocks made by Lions’ defenders over the past few weeks as Marchel’s team continues to learn how to sacrifice themselves to win games.

“They are buying into the way we have to play,” said Marchel. “The way we are going to be successful is if we clog the middle and block a lot of shots. It’s great to see that not only do they learn quickly how to do that, how to get themselves in the way, and they are willing to do that.”

This weekend, the Lions head to Superior to take on the Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets. In an odd scheduling quirk, the Lions will face the Yellowjackets for four straight games.

The Yellowjackets are 6-4-0 on the season, and 2-1-0 in the competitive WIAC.

Leading the way offensively for the Yellowjackets is Kayleigh Martinson who has five goals and nine points in 10 games. Another tough matchup defensively for opponents is Mikayla Goodin. She has a team-high six goals and eight points in 10 games.

GAME TIMES

Tonight, the Lions and the Yellowjackets square off at 8 p.m. at the Siinto A. Wessman Arena. Saturday, the rematch will take place at 3 p.m.

MEN GET A BREAK AFTER TOUGH FIRST HALF

The Lions men’s hockey team, which lost last Friday, 3-1 to St. Thomas, and Saturday, 3-1 to Wisconsin-Superior, enter a quiet place in their schedule as they are off until Jan. 5. The Lions are 0-11-1 on the season.