Running Out Of Time

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. (2/28/15) --- Concordia gave up a pair of goals in the final four minutes of the second period and second minute of the third period and lost 3-2 at St. Thomas in the semifinals of the MIAC playoffs.

The Cobbers tied the game midway through the second frame but then allowed the Tommies to come up with the two consecutive strikes which led to the one-goal win. CC got to within one goal in the 12th minute of the third and had a flurry late in regulation but could never come up with the equalizer and saw their season come to an end.

Concordia finished their season with a 10-12-3 record while St. Thomas moves on to host the MIAC title game with a 13-9-4 overall mark.

The Cobbers gave up a power play goal in the third minute of the opening period. St. Thomas took over the momentum when they scored at 2:43 of the opening period.

Concordia had 10 shots in the first period but weren't able to score until their ninth shot in the second stanza. The Cobbers had four straight shots on goal on a power play chance just before scoring the goal. As the power play ran out, the puck came back to the point where defenseman Morgan Bruns skated onto the loose puck and snapped off shot from the top of the circles that eluded the players in front of the goal and found the back of the net. Libby Fransdal and Bekah Wright were credited with the assists on the score at 8:49.

The second period would be chopped up by seven penalties on the two teams. The Cobbers held a decided 14-7 edge in shots in the period but it was the Tommies that went to the locker room with the momentum as they got the go-ahead tally at 16:24.

That momentum would carry over into the first two minutes of the third frame and UST responded by netting the eventual game-winning goal at 1:12.

Concordia then had to withstand three straight penalty calls against them in the next four minutes as the Tommies had three power play chances to add to the lead.

The Cobber penalty kill unit came up big and allowed CC to stay close. That play was rewarded in the 12th minute of the third frame when MIAC MVP Maddy Gendreau notched her 10th goal of the year. The unassisted goal at 11:59 led to a frantic last eight minutes of play.      

The biggest push came after Concordia pulled goalie Madison Denny in favor of an extra attacker at the 18:56 mark. CC then had a session where they pasted the Tommie net with four straight shots but could never come up with the game-tying goal.

St. Thomas held a one-shot advantage in shots on goal. UST put up 37 for the game as compared to 36 for the Cobbers. Gendreau had a game-high nine shots on goal while Jess Nelson added five.

Concordia went 1-for-6 on the power play and the Tommies were 1-for-5.

Denny made 34 saves in goal for the Cobbers.