A Sweet Playoff-Clinching Tie

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (2/17/18)---When is a tie as good as a win? When the tie gets you a point in the conference standings, clinches a playoff spot and earns you a home game in the league tournament.

Concordia used a second straight 2-2 overtime tie at Augsburg to clinch its eighth straight MIAC playoff berth and earn the No.4 seed in the conference tournament. The Cobbers will host No.5 seed Bethel on Thursday, Feb. 22. The time of the playoff game has yet to be determined.

The tie gives the Cobbers a 6-7-5 mark in conference play which adds up to 17 league points. CC ends the regular season with a 9-11-5 record in all games. Augsburg will be the No.3 seed for the upcoming MIAC postseason. The Auggies are now 14-6-5 overall and 9-4-5 in league play.

Augsburg got out to a 2-0 lead in the first 12:30 of the opening period and threatened to run away with the playoff-deciding contest. The Auggies outshot the Cobbers 10-9 in the first frame and took the two-goal advantage into the first intermission.

Concordia rallied to score a pair of goals in the second period – and both came off the stick of a first-year player.

Josee Lundgren scored her second goal in as many days when she brought Concordia within one goal at 2-1 at the 4:02 mark. Amanda Flemming and Tori Davis earned the assists on CC's opening tally.

The game would remain a one-goal affair until late in the middle frame when the Cobbers were awarded a power play. An Augsburg player was sent off for interference at the 15:08 mark and freshman defenseman Callie Fagerstrom would tie the game with 34 seconds remaining in the man advantage situation.

Lundgren was credited with the assist on Fagerstrom's eighth goal of the year.

Like the game on Friday night, the teams would skate into the second break tied at 2-2 and then not be able to put up another goal for the 20 minutes of the third period and then five more for overtime.

The teams combined for 17 shots in the third period but couldn't come put a puck on net in overtime.

The best chance of the extra session came in the final minute of play when an Augsburg attacker found herself all lone between the middle of the faceoff circles but her point blank shot caromed off the post and into the left corner. The shot was so close to going in the Auggie player raised her stick in the air to celebrate a would-be game-winning goal.

Concordia was outshot 37-19 in the game but earned the crucial tie behind the solid play of goalie Amy Jost. Jost stopped the last 33 shots she faced and finished with a total of 35 saves.

Lundgren, Fagerstrom and Emily Goff all had four shots on goal to lead the Cobber offense.

Both teams had four power play chances in the game. Concordia went 1-for-4 and held the Auggies scoreless in their four opportunities.

TIEING A RECORD or WE HOPE IT'S A GOOD OMEN: Concordia's 2-2 tie was their fifth of the season which, appropriately, ties the school record for ties in a single season. CC finished the year with five tie scores which equals the record set back in 2012 when the Cobbers made their only NCAA tournament appearance.    

BACK ON TRACK: The Cobber power play goal marked the first time in four games that CC scored when up a player. It also broke a streak of 10 straight power plays without a goal. Concordia led the nation in power play efficiency until the recent cold spell. The Cobbers are now third in Division III with a 29.3 success rate.

BACK ON TRACK 2: Amanda Flemming ended her scoring drought with an assist on Concordia's first goal of the game. Flemming was held off the board for four straight games after putting up a nine-game streak of scoring at least one point in a game. Flemming finished the regular season with a team best 26 points. She scored 13 goals and had 13 assists. She also led the team in scoring in MIAC games with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points.