Flaig Is Raised Against #7 UW-River Falls

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/03/2020)---The holiday season ended for Concordia as they returned to action after 3-week break for the Christmas holiday and fell 5-1 to No.7-ranked Wis.-River Falls at the Moorhead Sports Center.

Cobber freshman goalie Kiana Flaig showed no signs of the long layoff as she turned aside 42 Falcons' shots & kept the Cobbers close until the final 7-minutes of the third period.

The game was the fifth straight foe the Cobbers against a team ranked in the Top 10 of the nation. The loss drops Concordia's overall record to 4-8-0 on the season. River Falls wins for the third time in the last four games and is now 8-3-1 on the year.

The Falcons got on the board just before the midway point of the first period and then in the last minute of the opening frame. River Falls held a 2-0 lead after outshooting Concordia 16-5 in the period.

While Flaig was solid between the pipes in the first period to keep CC within two goals, she was spectacular in the second. She turned aside all 14 shots she faced in the middle period to keep the Cobbers within striking distance at 2-0.

The Falcons scored their third goal of the game at the 44-second mark of the final frame before junior Mackenzie Bergstrom got the Cobbers on the board with her first collegiate goal.

McKenzie Oelkers carried the puck down the left boards and made a centering pass to the top of the crease. Bergstrom skated hard to the middle of the net from the blueline and met the pass with a defender between her and the goal. She was then able to knock the puck past the defenseman and chip it over the Falcons' netminder who tried to dive out and knock the puck away from Bergstrom.

Oelkers and Hannah Christian earned the assists on the lone goal for Concordia.

River Falls would tack on a pair of goals in the final 7-minutes of play after keeping up relentless pressure on Flaig. Flaig made several breakaway stops during the course of the game and came up with a few in-close stops that kept the game from getting out of reach.

Flaig finished with 42 saves in the game which marks the second time in the last three games she has been over the 40-save mark. She has now turned aside an MIAC best 318 shots this year. Her 318 saves are also eighth most in all of Division III.  

Concordia was outshot 47-21 in the 60 minutes of play. Senior forward Amanda Flemming had four shots to lead Concordia.

Neither team was able to score on the power play. Concordia was held scoreless in their three chances and the Falcons went 0-for-6 on their power play attempts.

UP NEXT: Concordia will finish off its 6-game stretch against nationally ranked opponents when they host River Falls on Saturday, Jan. 4at 2 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center.

MACKENZIE BERGSTROM GOAL vs. WIS.-RIVER FALLS