4th Avenue Friese Out

MOORHEAD, Minn. (12/10/21)---Just when you thought you had college hockey all figured out, freshman Jerica Friese scores all three of Concordia's goals and the Cobbers go on to beat previously unbeaten, No.2-ranked Wis.-Eau Claire 3-2 in overtime.   

Freise's first career hat trick helped Concordia erase a 2-0 deficit and hand the Blugolds their first loss of the season.

The win gave the Cobbers a pair of program firsts. It is the first time that Concordia has beaten a team that is ranked either first or second in the country, and it is the first win over an unbeaten team with more than 10 wins on the year.

The victory is the third in the last four games for Concordia who ups its overall record to 6-4-0 on the year. Eau Claire is now 11-1-0 in 2021.

While Friese provided the offensive firepower for the Cobbers in the series opener, it was the "brick wall"-like play of junior goalie Kiana Flaig that kept CC close so they could make the late-game run.

Flaig stopped 19 of the 21 shots she faced in the two periods of play to keep Concordia within two goals of the lead. The Cobbers gave up a single goal in the first period and then a power play strike midway through the second frame.

One of the biggest plays of the game came only 7-seconds from the end of the middle stanza. Friese got the Cobbers on the board with her first goal of the game. Both of her first two goals came when she was camped at the side of the crease and pounced on a loose puck. Abbey Hardwick picked up the assist on the opener for CC.

The score would remain at 2-1 until the 13th minute of the third period. Once again it was Friese, and once again it came from a play on the Blugolds' doorstep. Allison O'Kane fired a shot from the right faceoff circle and Friese tipped the puck directly in front of the Eau Claire goalie. The puck went straight up in the air, hit the back of the netminder and then rolled into the net.

Flaig came up with the save of the year with just over 1-minute left in regulation. The Blugolds had the puck in the CC end when a shot was deflected wide and went behind the Concordia goal. An Eau Claire player tracked down the puck and slid it out from to a wide-open teammate who was skating down the slot.

The Blugold player 1-timed a shot that was headed just inside the right post. Falig, who had been on the left side of the goal – and facing the end boards – as the initial shot went behind the net, did a 180-degree turn, pushed off on her right skate and slid across the goalmouth. She was able to get her glove up just as the puck was about to enter the net and made the game-saving snare that had the Blugolds' players holding their heads in shock.

Concordia was on the power play for 1:37 to start the overtime which meant the teams would play 4-on-3. The Cobbers used the player advantage to control the zone time in the extra session.

The game-winning goal came when they teams moved to 3-on-3 after the first whistle when the penalty had been killed off. The play started in the Cobber end on the sideboards. CC defenseman Grace Doerring was able to win the puck and find Friese who was striding behind the Eau Claire defense on the right wing. Friese skate on through the neutral zone on the breakaway and fired a shot from next to the right faceoff dot. The puck was on a rope for the top right corner but the Eau Claire goalie was able to get her glove up and deflect the puck.

The goalie's glove contact wasn't enough to stop the entire shot, and the puck arched over her shoulder and under the crossbar.

Friese's goal, which set off a team-wide celly, was her team-leading sixth of the season. She also has a CC best nine points on the year.

Flaig finished with 35 saves which is her second highest total of the season. She now has 205 stops for the year which is second most in the MIAC, and her 2.19 goals against average is fifth best.

UP NEXT: Concordia will finish off its 2-game series with the nationally-ranked Blugolds when they meet on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center.

CONCORDIA VS. #2 WIS.-EAU CLAIRE HIGHLIGHTS