Series Finale Turnaround

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (1/20/18)---Less than 16 hours after giving up three field goals and losing the series opener, Concordia never trailed against St. John's and claimed a 4-2 win in the finale.

The Cobbers earn a huge three points in the league standings for the road win. Concordia is now 5-4-1 in MIAC games which has them at 17 points and all alone in fourth place in the league standings.

Concordia earned the series split by scoring the first two goals in the game and then the final two goals in the contest. In between the pair of two-goal outbursts, the Johnnies scored two straight of their own to tie the game at the end of the second period.

Bryan Kronberger and Jacob Stephan played key roles in the Cobbers' eight overall win of the year. Kronberger had two goals and finished with a total of three points while Stephan made 42 saves in goal for CC.

Jake Ellingson started the scoring on Saturday when he netted his fourth goal of the year at the 12:59 mark of the opening period. Dalton Mills and Eddie Eades were credited with the assists on the play.

Concordia would hold a 1-0 lead heading into the second period and then Kronberger would double the margin with his first of two goals on the day. His marker at 5:00 was his fourth score of the year with Aaron Ryback and Shane Gingera picking up the helpers.

St. John's (12-5-2/7-3-0 MIAC) would score a pair of power plays in the back half of the second period to tie the score at 2-2. They cut the lead to 2-1 at 10:28 and then less than two minutes later tied the game with another man-advantage goal.

The Cobbers would return the late-period duo in the third period. Tanner Okeson scored the game-winning goal at 16:19. The nugget came while CC was on the power play. Kroberger recorded his second point on the day with an assist and Jon Grebosky also grabbed an assist on the play.

The most dramatic goal of the game came in the final minute of play when Kronberger wheeled and unleashed a 180-foot shot that went straight into the open net. His shot from the Cobbers' faceoff circles iced the game and sealed the three points for Concordia.

Concordia was outshot 44-33 in the game. Okeson and Ellingson both had five shots to lead the Cobbers.       

FOUR ON THE FLOOR: Concordia has scored four or more goals in six games this season and is 5-0-1 in those contests.

TERRIFIC TWOS: Concordia has held their opponent to two or fewer goals in eight games this year and is 6-1-1 in those contests.

MULTIPLE-POINT PARTNERSHIP: Senior defenseman Bryan Kronberger is known more for his solid blue line play and steady defensive zone coverage. Kronberger posted his first multiple-point game of the season on Saturday and first since his sophomore season. Kronberger has three multiple-point games in his career and two have come against St. John's.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will return to Moorhead for another key MIAC match-up. The Cobbers will host St. Thomas on Jan. 26-27. The Tommies are currently just behind Concordia in the league standings with 16 points and are 10-6-1 overall. UST is coming off a sweep over Bethel on the weekend.