Early-Season Script Continues To Succeed

ST. PETER, Minn. (11/15/13)—Stingy defense, great goaltending, an opportunistic offense, an impenetrable penalty kill unit and a goal by senior defenseman Caleb Suderman continue to be the themes of the 2013-14 season for Concordia as the Cobbers opened the conference schedule with a 3-1 win at Gustavus.

Concordia is now 4-1 on the season and all four wins have come with CC allowing two or fewer goals. In three of the four victories the Cobbers have scored three or fewer goals.

The Cobbers scored the first two goals of the game. The game's opening goal came against the run of plat and took the wind out of Gustavus' early-game sails. The Gusties, who were playing in their home opener, looked like they would put up big shot numbers in the first part of the period. Concordia halted the momentum when freshman Garrett Hendrickson slammed home a rebound at the 14:48 mark of the period. It was Hendrickson's first collegiate goal. David Velich and Sam Coborn earned assists on the play. It would the first of Coborn's two straight assists.

The goal in the 15^th minute would be the only score of the first period which saw Gustavus holding an 11-5 edge in shots on goal.

Concordia added to its lead late in the second period. Jeremy Johnson sniped a shot from the right wing that sailed over the goalie's shoulder and untouched into the back of the net. Jordan Christianson and Coborn set up the eventual game-winning goal.

Gustavus (2-3-0) tightened the game by scoring in the sixth minute of the third period. Not only did the chances on goal slow down but the physical play picked up after the Gusties' goal. After only having two penalties called in the first two periods of play, the teams were whistled for 10 penalties and 38 penalty minutes in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

The Cobbers took advantage of the first two Gustavus penalties in the game. CC struck on a 5-on-3 situation when Suderman slapped home a shot from the point that wove its way through a maze of players in front of the net. The insurance goal at 12:33 was Suderman's MIAC-leading fifth of the season. He has now scored a goal in each of the team's first five games of the year.

CC goalie Chris Neamonitis made sure the two-goal would hold up. He stopped 40 of the 41 shots he faced in the game to record his fourth win of the season. Neamonitis has now stopped at least 35 shots in the last three games and now leads the MIAC in save percentage (96.3%) and goals against average (1.40).

Concordia was outshot 41-23 in the game. The Cobbers scored on their only power play chance in the game. The CC penalty kill unit continues to sizzle in the season. The "Mallards" killed off all four Gustie man-advantage situations and have only allowed two power play goals in 32 chances (93.8%) this season.

The two teams will finish off the two-game series tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. the Don Roberts Ice Rink on the Gustavus campus.