Final Minute Meltdown

MENOMONIE. Wis. (11/04/11)—Concordia gave up a goal in the final minute of play and lost to UW-Stout 2-1 in Menomonie, Wis. on Friday. The Cobbers tied the game in the final 10 minutes of the third period but then conceded the game-winning goal on a power play with just :47 left to go in the third period.

The loss ends the Cobbers' two-game winning streak to start the year and drops the team to 2-1 on the season. The Blue Devils, who were in the "others receiving votes" category in this week's USCHO.com national poll, are now 4-1 on the year.

The teams skated through two scoreless periods as neither team could get many clean chances on the smaller ice sheet. Stout had a 25-17 advantage in shots on goal through the first 40 minutes but CC goalie Kelly Andrew and Blue devil goalie Tom Lescovich were able to stop all 42 shots thrown on goal.

The game changed in the first three minutes of the third period when Stout broke on the board first. Jordan Tredinnick scored his first goal of the year at 2:30 to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead. It took the Cobbers almost 10 minutes to come up with the game-tying goal. Sophomore forward John Orrico scored his second goal of the season at 11:31 and suddenly Concordia had host Stout on their heels. Mark Johnson and Jared Collen were credited with the assists on the play. It was the first point of the year for both players.

The teams then went back and forth for the remainder of the game. The result came down to a matter of inches as the Blue Devils were able to get their best chance to trickle over the line while the Cobbers' best chance hit the post. Stout scored the eventual game-winning goal on the power play after a CC defenseman went off for holding at 18:55. The Blue Devils kept the puck in the CC end and then Kevin O'Donnell fired home the game winner from just outside the slot area.

The Cobbers had their top chance come in the final :30 after they had pulled Andrew in favor of an extra attacker. A CC forward was left alone in front and his shot hammered off the goal post and caromed away from the net.

The Blue Devils outshot Concordia 41-21 for the game. Andrew made 39 stops in goal and has now stopped 74 of the 78 shots he has faced this year. Lescovich made 20 saves to earn his fourth win of the year.

Concordia will now return to Minnesota and face St. Thomas in a non-conference game in St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.