Hat Trick Hardwick

MOORHEAD, Minn. (12/03/21)---When freshman Abbey Hardwick scores, they come in groups of three. Hardwick scored all three goals in Concordia's come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win at Augsburg.

Hardwick, who now has six goals on the year – with a pair of hat tricks, scored a pair of goals in the third period to erase a 1-0 deficit and then netted the game winner at the 1:54 mark of overtime.

The win is the second straight for the Cobbers and third in the past four games. CC is now 5-3-0 overall and 2-3-0 in the MIAC. The Auggies post their second straight loss and are now 1-5-1 in all games and 1-3-1 in conference play.

Besides, the goal-scoring prowess of Hardwick, the other two key factors in the game for Concordia was the play of junior goalie Kiana Flaig and the success of the Cobber penalty-kill unit. Falig kept Concordia in the game until Hardwick's heroics in the final 22 minutes of play. Flaig turned aside 25 of the 26 shots she faced in the first two periods, and finished with 36 saves.           

The Cobbers faced seven penalty kill opportunities and didn't allow a single goal when they were shorthanded. The Auggies went 0-for-7 on the power play.

Concordia has only allowed two power play goals in the last 22 chances, and are kill off penalties at a 90.6% clip this season.

The only goal of the first two periods of play came in the 18th minute of the first period when the Cobbers were on the power play. Augsburg got on the board first when they scored a shorthanded goal at 17:05.  

Hardwick started her hat trick in the third minute of the third period. Senior Brenna Mjoness picked up the loose puck just inside the Augsburg blue and skated towards her right. She fired the puck towards the net where it bounced off the skate of Hardwick. Hardwick then collected the puck and fired it past the Auggie goalie from the bottom of the right faceoff circle.

Hardwick's second goal gave Concordia a 2-1 lead midway through the period. Like Augsbirg's opener, Hardwick was able to give CC the lead when they were shorthanded.

Hardwick picked up the puck in her own end, raced the length of the ice on a 2-on-1 situation and then snapped off a laser that found the top corner of the net. The goal at 12:04 was assisted by Grace Doerring.

The Auggies took timeout after the Cobbers go-ahead goal and would eventually tie the score with an even-strength marker at 16:37.

One of the key plays of the series opener came at the 18-second mark of the 3-on-3 overtime period. Augsburg had a 2-on-1 flurry in the Cobber end but then got called for a slashing penalty. That set the stage for the game winner

Staked to a 4-on-3 power play, Concordia held the puck in the Auggie zone for the first 65 seconds of the player advantage. Augsburg finally cleared the zone which allowed Hardwick to come off the bench on the change.

Jerica Friese won a draw on the right faceoff circle and the puck went back to Allison O'Kane on the right point. She played the puck to the left side where Doerring hammered a 1-time shot that hit a pile of player in front of the goal. The puck bounced to Abbey-on-the-spot and Hardwick slid the puck into the goal for her third goal and the game winner.

The overtime goal was Hardwick's sixth of the year. Her first three goals came in Concordia's 6-2 win over Finlandia.

The six goals by Hardwick are tied for second most in the MIAC this season.

Concordia was outshot 38-16 in the game. It is the first time this year that the Cobbers have been held under 25 shots in a game. CC has 316 shots this season which leads the conference.

Flaig stopped 36 shots and lowered her goals against average to 2.10 and upped her save percentage to .920. She is now third in the MIAC in goals against and fifth in save percentage.

UP NEXT: Concordia will finish off its 2-game series with Augsburg on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m.