One Is Enough In Opener

BLAINE, Minn. (10/29/16)---In the first game of the season one was enough.

Junior Dalton Mills scored the only goal of the game midway through the first period and the Cobber defense and freshman netminder Sam Nelson made it stand up as Concordia beat St. Thomas 1-0 on the second day of the annual MIAC Showcase.

Nelson made 35 saves in his college debut to earn his first collegiate shutout. He had a game-high 16 saves in the third period after making 12 stops in the opening frame.

Concordia is now 8-6-1 in games played in the MIAC Showcase since the league started playing the game at the beginning of the 2009-10 season. 

While Nelson will steal the headlines it was the Cobber penalty kill unit that did the dirty work. Concordia successfully killed off seven Tommie power plays.

The Cobbers were whistled for nine penalties for 18 minutes in the game while St. Thomas had six penalties for 12 minutes. CC was 0-for-4 on the power play in the game.

Mills got the only goal of the game at the 10:22 mark of the first period. He finished off a play started by captain Jon Grebosky and also sophomore Mario Bianchi.

With the goal in the opener, Mills matches his season total from last year. Mills only had one nugget in all of 2015-16.  

Grebosky picks up right where he left off last year as he led the team in assists in 2015-16 with 14.

The Tommies held a 35-24 edge in shots on goal for the game. Senior Garrett Hendrickson had a team-high five shots on goal for the Cobbers. Mills and freshman defender Eddie Eades had four shots each for CC.   

HE LOVES THE TOMMIES: Dalton Mills' only goal last year also came against St. Thomas. He now has five career goals in his collegiate career and three have come against St. Thomas.

THEY LOVE OPENERS: Concordia has now won four straight season openers and six of the past seven openers. 
 
WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will finish off the MIAC Showcase on Sunday when the play St. Mary's at 2:30 p.m. at the Schwans Super Rink in Blaine.