Triumph After Senior Celebration

MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/12/16)—You can never accuse Concordia of leaving early from a good celebration.

The Cobbers made their Senior Celebration Night last well into the first period and then had to rally to beat St. Olaf 4-2. Concordia trailed 2-0 midway through the first period but then rattled off four unanswered goals to win their second straight game.

The four-goal outburst helps Concordia jump into a three-way tie for second place in the MIAC standings. The Cobbers are now 10-5 in league play and have 20 conference points. CC is 12-9-1 overall.   

Concordia honored their five seniors in a ceremony before the game and stayed in celebration mode until the final five minutes of the first period.

Unfortunately for the Cobbers, St. Olaf stepped on the ice ready to play and CC found themselves in a 2-0 hole after the Oles scored at 7:19 and then again at 11:46. Both goals came courtesy of Concordia turnovers.

It wasn't until the final stages of the first frame that Concordia was able to generate zone time and create chances on goal.

That late-period momentum carried into the second period and sophomore Tori Davis started the comeback with a goal in the second minute of play. The Cobbers were able to keep the puck in the St. Olaf zone and it went behind the goal Amber Schaack centered out in front to Davis who wheeled and slid the puck under the pads of the Ole goalie. Jess Nelson also earned the assist on Davis' team-leading 13th goal of the season.

The pivotal moment of the game came when the Cobbers were killing off a penalty. Schaack intercepted a pass just outside the St. Olaf blue line. She then carried the puck into the zone on the right wing and tried to get off a shot on goal from just above the goal line. The puck caromed behind the goal and Schaack was able to track it down before any of the Ole players could get possession. She then stopped and turned back to beat the goalie to the near post. Schaack's wraparound attempt banked off the skate of the goalie and barely slid over the goal line.

It was only the second shorthanded goal of the year for Concordia and completely changed the complexion of the game.

The Cobbers continued to attack throughout the period and were rewarded in the 12th minute of play. Once again CC held the puck in the Ole end. This time the puck came back to the point where freshman defenseman Amelia Amon controlled the puck and avoided a St. Olaf player before sending a backhand shot on goal.

Schaack was standing just outside the crease and tipped the shot between her legs and under the St. Olaf goalie's pads as she tried to fall to the ice to make the save.  The assist for Amon was her first career point.

Concordia wound up outshooting St. Olaf 12-9 in the second period and couldn't come up with an insurance goal.

The insurance marker came midway through the third period when senior Cassey Petrich created her own Senior Night festivities by firing home a close-angle shot from the left wing.

Davis and Schaack finished off their multiple-point nights with the assists on the goal at 9:58.

Concordia outshot the Oles 31-24 for the game. Schaack had a game-high nine shots on goal. That total was one more than CC had in all of the first period.

All six goals in the game were even-strength tallies as neither team was able to score on the power play. The Cobbers were 0-for-2 on the PP while the Oles were held scoreless in their three attempts.

Junior Andrea Klug made 22 saves in goal for the Cobbers to earn her 12th win of the season.

Concordia vs. St. Olaf Highlights

A DELIGHTFUL DOZEN
Andrea Klug's 12 wins on the year ties the program record for most wins in a single season by a goalie. Shyla Wilson also had 12 wins in the 2001-02 season when she went 12-8-1. Wilson had 29 wins in her career which is tops in school history. Klug now has 25 career wins.

FOUR SCORE
Junior Amber Schaack's four-point night is a single-game career high. Her previous top single game total was three which she put up against Hamline last year. Schaack now has three multiple-point games this year and has 14 total points on the year. That total ties her career high which she had last season.

SCHAACK MAKER
Schaack has been all over the goal this season. She has 97 shots on the year which is third in the MIAC – just three behind the league leader. Schaack has had at least five shots on goal in 11 games this year.

DANGEROUS DAVIS
Sophomore Tori Davis has scored at least one goal in four of the past five games and has five total goals over that stretch. She now has 13 goals for the year which is second best in the MIAC this year. She has 11 goals in MIAC play which is also second in the league. Her 16 total points in MIAC games is second in the conference.

FULL NELSON
Junior Jess Nelson has quietly fashioned out a career scoring season. She is tied for the team lead in  points with 18 and has 13 assists in the team's 22 games. She leads the MIAC in assists this year. She had 15 assists and 19 total points in her previous two seasons at Concordia combined.