51 Minutes Not Enough Against No.7-Ranked Gustavus

ST. PETER, Minn. (11/14/14)—Concordia battled No.7-ranked Gustavus for 51 minutes and was tied heading down the stretch in the conference opener for both teams. Unfortunately for the Cobbers the Gusties were able to come up with a pair of goals in the final nine minutes of play and won 3-1.

Concordia continues to improve in the early part of the season under first-year head coach. The Cobbers have played all three of their games against teams ranked in the top 7 of the country.

Concordia started slow against nationally-ranked Gustavus and was outshot 14-7 in the first period and allowed a power play goal midway through the opening period and then shut down Gustavus for the next 30 minutes of play.

During the second period Concordia found its offensive rhythm and was able to put up double-digit shot totals in the final two periods.

The Cobbers tied the game on a power play goal of their own in the fifth minute of play in the second period. Senior Bekah Wright connected on her first goal of the season at 4:22 with Jess Nelson and Maddy Gendreau picking up the assists.

The game would stay tied until the 11:36 mark of the final frame. Gustavus was able to score the game winner after holding the puck in the Cobber zone for an extended period of time. The Gusties were able to work the puck out from the right corner when a forward made a move around a CC defender and put the puck in the net.

Gustavus would add a third goal in the game in the final two minutes of play to make the final score 3-1.

The Gusties held a 42-30 edge in shots on goal for the game. Ellen Rethwisch had a team-high eight shots for the Cobbers.

Concordia goalie Madison Denny made 39 saves.

The same two teams will finish the two-game series when they play on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.