Bad Time For A Bagel

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/30/15)—Concordia had 30 shots on goal and 30 times they were denied in a 2-0 loss to Hamline in the opening game of the series in Moorhead.

The difference in the game turned out to be a scrum-like goal in the final two minutes of the first period. The Pipers added an empty-net goal in the final minute of play to push the final margin to two goals.     

The shutout is the first for the Cobbers this season and first since the end of the 2011-12 season - a streak that reached 73 games.

The loss drops the Cobbers out of first place in the MIAC standings. CC is now 5-4-2 in conference play and in second place in the standings. Concordia is 10-7-3 in all games.

Neither team was able to create quality chances in the first period. The play was mostly between the blue lines for the first 20 minutes.  Concordia had a hard time gaining the neutral zone while the Pipers struggled to get control in the Cobber zone to create chances.

The game turned at the 18:04 mark of the first period when Hamline was able to push t towards the net and jam the puck home from in close.

One of the pivotal moments of the game came midway through the second period when a Hamline player was whistled for a major penalty. Concordia put pressure on the Hamline net for the first 1:30 of the power play but was then whistled for a tripping penalty to negate the man-advantage situation.

The Cobbers best period of the game was the third when they continued to attack the Hamline net down the right wing. Concordia had 12 shots on net in the final frame – their highest total of the game. The Cobbers drove the Piper net several times in the final five minutes but couldn't get the puck past Hamline goalie John Sellie-Hanson.

Concordia outshot Hamline 30-29. Tucker Coborn had a team-high six shots on goal.

Cobber freshman goalie Alex Reichle stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced in the game.  Reichle lowered his season goals against average to 2.54 and upped his save percentage to 91.2%.

Concordia will look to gain a split in the series when the two teams finish off the series on Saturday, Kan. 31 at 2 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center.