No.2 Seed Is Secured
It wasn’t the prettiest game to end the regular season, but it got the job done. Concordia skated to a 1-1 overtime tie at Hamline which secured the No.2 seed in the upcoming MIAC playoffs.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (02/20/22)---It wasn't the prettiest game to end the regular season, but it got the job done. Concordia skated to a 1-1 overtime tie at Hamline which secured the No.2 seed in the upcoming MIAC playoffs.
The Cobbers earned the extra percentage point in the standings courtesy of a 1-0 win in the shootout.
Concordia, who needed to win or tie the series finale against the Pipers to finish second in the conference standings, broke on top with a goal in the second period before Hamline tied the game with the only goal of the third frame.
The Cobbers will enter the postseason with a 13-9-3 overall record and ended conference play with a 10-4-2 mark. CC will now host No.7 seed St. Olaf on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center.
Concordia put up more shots in the series finale, and had more offensive zone time, than they did in their 2-1 win on Saturday, but couldn't come up with a goal-scoring spree.
The Cobbers had 13 shots on goal in the second and 16 in the third period. The combined 2-period total was more than they had in all of their win on Saturday.
The only goal for the Cobbers came in the final five minutes of the middle period. Senior Parker Simonson staked CC to a 1-0 lead when he scored his sixth goal of the year at 16:19. Keaton Leininger and Brock Montgomery were credited with the assists.
The lead would hold until the fourth minute of the third period when Hamline would tie the game with an even-strength marker at 3:40.
The Cobbers doubled up the Pipers in shots on goal but could never come up with the game winner. CC then had two of the only three chances in OT, but shots by Alex Stoley and Tanner Breidenbach were stopped by the Hamline netminder.
Senior All-American Tyler Bossert connected on the only successful attempt in the shootout to earn the Cobbers the extra percentage point.
Hamline was unable to get the puck past Cobber goalie Jackson Nelson in the shootout who finished with 27 saves in the game.
Concordia outshot the Pipers 40-28 in the game. Neither team scored on the power play in the 65 minutes of play. CC was 0-for-4 while Hamline went 0-for-3.
UP NEXT: The Cobbers will turn their attention to the postseason when they host St. Olaf on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center. Concordia went 0-1-1 against the Oles in the regular-season series which was played in Northfield in November.