Cobbers Use Big Third Period to Pull Away in 4–1 Win Over Saint Mary's
Concordia used a dominant third period and a 47-shot performance to power past Saint Mary’s on Friday night, earning a 4–1 win in the series opener at the Moorhead Sports Center.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
Team Stats
Saint Mary's (Minn.)
| Game Statistics | Saint Mary's (Minn.) | Concordia-M'head |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 1 for 5 | 0 for 3 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (8) | 6 (12) |
| Shots on Goal | 24 | 47 |
| Face Offs Won | 29 | 37 |
MOORHEAD, Minn. (12/5/25) –-- Concordia used a dominant third period and a 47-shot performance to power past Saint Mary's on Friday night, earning a 4–1 win in the series opener at the Moorhead Sports Center.
Concordia struck first late in the opening period when Tucker Skime buried a shorthanded goal at 16:31, set up by Carson Triggs. The Cobbers generated heavy pressure throughout the frame, outshooting SMU and forcing Cardinal goaltender Adam Prokop into multiple point-blank saves. CC carried a 1–0 lead into the first intermission.
Saint Mary's capitalized on a power play midway through the second, tying the game on a shot from Joona Juntunen at 7:42. Despite the equalizer, Concordia regained momentum, earning multiple power-play chances and continuing to pepper Prokop with quality looks. Noel Olsonawski stood tall in net for the Cobbers, turning away every even-strength shot he faced in the period.
The third period belonged entirely to Concordia.
Just 1:38 into the frame, Talan Plante netted the eventual game-winner, finishing a feed from Joe Harguindeguy and Carson Triggs to put CC up 2–1.
Less than a minute later, Patrick Dunaiski doubled the lead at 2:05, converting off a setup from Gavin Waltz and Brady O'Brien to make it 3–1.
With Saint Mary's pulling its goaltender late, the Cobbers sealed the victory when Kaleb Pitman fired home an empty-netter at 18:22. O'Brien collected his second assist of the night, while Olsonawski added a rare goaltender assist on the play.
Olsonawski finished with 23 saves, controlling rebounds and keeping SMU off the board at even strength.
Concordia outshot the Cardinals 47–24 and controlled the faceoff circle, setting the tone from the opening puck drop through all three periods. Brady O'Brien and Carson Triggs each tallied two assists on the night.
The Cobbers return to action tomorrow for Game 2 of the series against Saint Mary's, with puck drop set for 2:00 PM.
