Cobber MIAC Playoff Primer 2016

MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/23/16)—Concordia is one of only two schools in the MIAC to have all four winter sports teams playing in the conference playoffs and all four will host playoff games during the week. The Cobber women’s basketball team starts the postseason when they host Bethel in a quarterfinal game on Tuesday. The men’s basketball will also host Bethel in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday and then the women’s hockey and men’s hockey teams will hos a doubleheader on Thursday.

Ticket proces for all four events are $7 for adult and $3 for any student (5 years old and younger are free). There is no senior discount. MIAC Passes will be honored. No other passes are to be accepted. 

Here is all the information you will need to get caught up on the Concordia MIAC playoff action.

Cobber Playoff Primer Menu:
Women's Basketball vs. Bethel | Men's Basketball vs. Bethel  | Women's Hockey vs. St. Mary's | Men's Hockey vs. Hamline

Women’s Basketball – MIAC Quarterfinals
No.5 Seed Bethel (16-9/12-6 MIAC) at No.3 Seed Concordia (17-8/13-5 MIAC) – Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium

Live Links:  Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

How They Got Here: The tradition continues on as the Cobbers will be making its 14th consecutive MIAC tournament appearance. Concordia went 17-8 overall and 13-5 in conference games this season. CC has fared well in the friendly confines of Memorial Auditorium as they are 8-4 in Moorhead this season. The Royals (16-9 overall/12-6 MIAC) put together a string of six wins in their last seven games to make the tournament field for the third straight season. Bethel is 8-6 on the road this season.

Postseason Pedigree: Concordia is 11-12 all-time in their 14 overall MIAC tournament appearances. CC won the conference postseason tournament in 2001 and 2006. The Cobbers are 8-3 at home in the MIAC playoffs and 4-4 in quarterfinal games. Bethel is making its sixth overall conference tournament appearance and is 3-5 in the postseason. The Royals made the championship game last season which is their farthest venture in the tourney. Bethel is 1-5 on the road in the conference tourney and 2-2 in quarterfinal games. Concordia and Bethel have only played one time in the conference playoffs. That was back in 2012 with the Cobbers coming away with a 55-50 win in the 3/6  quarterfinal game in Moorhead. 

Regular Season Match-Ups: Concordia swept the season series between the Royals. The Cobbers beat Bethel 62-55 on the road back on December 5 then narrowly won again in Moorhead by a 64-60 final on January 23. BU was without leading scorer Kalli Zimmerman in the first game due to an injury. Zimmerman (12.9 points per game), who went over 1,000 points for her career in the regular season finale against Hamline, poured in 24 points for the Royals in the second game of the series. The Cobbers had three players score in double figures in both contests. 

Statistically Speaking: The Cobbers 60.4 points per game average was sixth in the MIAC, but their stingy defense was the best in the conference as they surrendered a mere 53.0 points per contest. Meanwhile, Bethel puts the ball in the basket at a clip of 69.8 points per game, good for second in the league. The Royals give up the sixth most points in the conference at 60.7 points a game. Bethel’s high-powered offense is second in field goal percentage (43.1%), first in 3-point field goal percentage (38.7%) and first in both free throws attempted (25.3) and free throws made (17.5) per game. In addition to the top-ranked defense the Cobbers boast the best rebounding margin in the league at a plus-10.1 boards a game.  Concordia limited Bethel to 3-for-20 beyond the arc combined in the two games. 

Who will get the ball late in games? The Cobbers have three players averaging in double figures – Jenna Januschka (14.9), Greta Walsh (13.4) and Olivia Johnson (11.9). Zimmerman paces the Royals with 12.9 points per game while Molly O’Toole also averages 12.3 points a game. Rachel Parupsky chips in 9.7 points for the Royals and is also second in the conference in both free throws and blocks. 

3-Pointer – Three facts to make you sound smart with your friends
- CC is 14-2 when Januschka scores 15 or more points this season and she is in the top 10 of nine statistical categories in the league.
- Since 2001, the 14-year streak of qualifying for the conference tournament, the Cobbers have posted a 258-119 (68.4%) record.
- Concordia has won six straight at home against Bethel and is 8-2 vs. the Royals in the last 10 games of the series. CC  is 55-17 lifetime against Bethel in a series that dates back to 1970.

MIAC Women's Basketball Tournament Page

Men’s Basketball – MIAC Quarterfinals
No.5 Seed Bethel (17-8/12-8 MIAC) at No.4 Seed Concordia (17-8) – Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium

Live Links:  Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

How They Got Here: Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup is a rematch of last season’s quarterfinal tilt at Bethel which the Royals won 73-51.  Concordia (16-9 overall/13-7 MIAC) won six of their final eight games to secure a home playoff game for the first time in three seasons. Bethel (17-8 overall/12-8 MIAC) won three of their last four games to make the six-team tournament field. The Cobbers went 8-3 at home this season while the Royals were 6-5 on the road.

Playoff Pedigree: Concordia is making its 11th overall appearance in the MIAC payoff and is 4-9 in the MIAC tournament. The Cobbers won their only postseason crown in 1996.  CC has not won a league tournament game since the 2003-04 season and is 0-5 during that stretch with three losses coming against Bethel. The Cobbers’ last win in the MIAC postseason came at home in 2004 when they beat St. Thomas in the 3/6 quarterfinal game. Concordia is 2-3 at home in the league playoffs and 2-4 in quarterfinal games. Bethel is making its fifth straight MIAC postseason appearance and 20th overall appearance. The Royals advanced to the conference championship last season, losing at No.1 seed St. Thomas. Bethel is 7-17 on the road in the MIAC playoffs and 9-3 in quarterfinal games. The 2007-08 season had the exact same 4/5 seed scenario as this season. Then No. 4 seed Concordia hosted then No. 5 seed Bethel in the quarterfinal of the MIAC tournament – the Royals won 75-64 in Moorhead.

Regular Season Match-Ups: Both teams won at home for a split in the season series. The Royals won 77-65 behind 21 points from Trevor Hall and a bench margin of plus-18. CC bettered Bethel 69-61 on January 23 behind a balanced scoring attack. The game was relatively even numbers wise but Concordia shot 52.0% from the field compared to just 40.0% for BU. 

Statistically Speaking: Concordia may have the fourth best scoring offense in the league (75.7 points per game), but their shooting percentage of 51.8% is second best in the country. They will face a Bethel defense that allows the fourth most points per game in the conference (70.5). The Royals average a league best 8.3 steals per game. 

Who will get the ball late in games? The Cobbers’ feature the front-runner for the league’s MVP in Jordan Bolger. He leads the conference in scoring (19.2 points per game) and is third in rebounds per game (8.9 boards per contest). Bolger is in the top-10 in 13 different statistical categories in the MIAC. Sharpshooter Tom Fraase adds 13.7 points a game while Dylan Alderman and Austin Nelson average 10.2 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Bethel also has four players who average in double figures – with Brycen Wojta (13.8) leading the way. Bridgeport Tusler is right behind with 13.7 points per game while Derek Magnuson 12.3) and Hall (11.6) are also in double figures. 

3-Pointer – Three facts to make you sound smart with your friends
- As aforementioned, Concordia has the second best shooting percentage in the nation. The Cobbers have shot 50.0% or better in 15 games this season, and are 15-0 in those contests.
- Concordia has won three straight at home against Bethel. The Cobbers are only 3-7 against the Royals in the last 10 games in the series but all three of those wins came in Memorial Auditorium.
- Concordia has outscored its opponents in the second half in 16 games this season. The Cobbers are 14-2 when they outscore their foes in the final 20 minutes of play. They are 2-7 when they get outscored in the second half.      

 
MIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Page

Women’s Hockey – MIAC Quarterfinals
No.5 Seed St. Mary's (10-12-3/9-7-2 MIAC) at No.4 Seed Concordia (13-11-1/11-7-0 MIAC) – Thursday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center

Live Links:  Live Stats

How they got here: Concordia posted a 13-11-1 record in the regular season, including an overtime win against co-conference champion St. Thomas, and totaled 22 points to grab the No.4 seed. The Cardinals had a tough month in January, as they went 2-6-2 and lost two overtime games and tied two other games in OT. SMU had a 20-day stretch where they lost five straight, but overcame the January blues and went 4-2 in February to claim the final spot in the tournament.

Postseason Pedigree: This will be the first time the two teams have met in the MIAC postseason. Concordia is making its sixth straight MIAC playoff appearance and 10th overall trip to postseason. CC is 4-5 in the past five trips to the league playoff. The Cobbers are 5-9 in their previous nine trips to the conference tournament. Concordia has appeared in the MIAC title game twice – 2012 and 2013. The Cobbers are 3-1 at home in the playoffs and 3-1 in quarterfinals. St. Mary’s is making its second straight MIAC playoff appearance and 10th overall trip to the tournament. The Cardinals are 7-7-1 in their previous nine appearances which included two-game series’ in the very first MIAC tournament in 2001. SMU won the postseason title in 2002.  St. Mary’s hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005 and is 3-4-1 on the road. The Cardinals are 2-5 in quarterfinal games. 

Regular Season Match-Ups: The season series took place in Winona back on December 4-5 with the teams splitting the games. St. Mary’s took Friday’s contest by a 4-2 final as they scored two goals in the third period. Tori Davis scored both goals for the Cobbers in that game. CC posted a donut on the Saturday matinee as Davis and Ellen Rethwisch each netted a goal and Andrea Klug posted her then fifth shutout and moved to 6-2 with the 24-save effort. 

Statistically Speaking: It should be a large crowd on hand at the Moorhead Sports Center as the women led the MIAC in home attendance in the league in the regular season. The Cobbers lead the league in power play opportunities (67) but have the ninth best power-play success rate. On the flip side, CC has the second most short-handed goals in the MIAC.  The Cardinals’ offense sits in the bottom half of the league, but their defense is another story. They have given up the third fewest goals of the season and have the second most saves in the conference. 

North Stars: Concordia’s Davis finished the season on a tear and is tied for third in the league with 21 points. She leads the MIAC in goals with 14 and also has the most game winners with 5. Davis is also one of six players in the conference to record a hat trick this season. Jess Nelson is not far behind Davis in points as she sits at fifth in the league with 20. Nelson has assisted on a MIAC-best 11 goals this year and has one goal in league games. Klug also leads the conference in saves with 564 and is fifth in winning percentage (.587).  St. Mary’s Tori Herrmann is one of the top-keepers in the MIAC. She led the conference in goals against average in MIAC games (1.37) and was second in save percentage (95.2%). Jamie Henderson is the Cardinals’ top threat in the offensive zone. She is third in the league in goals and tied with Nelson for fifth in points. 

Slap Shots – Three facts to get your primed for the game
- The Cobbers are 3-0-1 against St. Mary's in the last four games played between the two teams in Moorhead. CC is 17-11-6 against the Cardinals in the overall series which started in 2000 but the Cobbers have posted a 7-3-4 mark against SMU in the last 14 games in the series.  
- Andrea Klug’s eight shutouts this season is the third most in the nation.
- St. Mary’s is ninth in Division III in combined special teams play. The Cardinals have a 51.5% success rate between their power play and penalty kill. 

MIAC Women's Hockey Tournament Page

Men’s Hockey – MIAC Quarterfinals
No.5 Seed Hamline (9-11-5/6-8-2 MIAC) at No.4 Seed Concordia (10-13-2/8-7-1 MIAC) – Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center

Live Links:  Live Stats

How they got here: Concordia finished with 26 points and a 10-13-2 (8-7-1 MIAC) overall record. CC lost a 3-0 lead to St. Thomas in the first game of the series back on February 5 which began a three-game skid. The Cobbers rebounded and won two of their last three games to nab the No.4 seed. Defending conference tournament champion Hamline went 1-2-1 in the final four games, but a 6-3 win over Gustavus on the final day of the regular season secured the final playoff spot in the five-team field. The Pipers own a 9-11-5 overall record and a 6-8-2 mark in league games.

Playoff Pedigree: Concordia is making its fifth MIAC playoff appearance in the past six years. It will be the 11th overall spot in the league playoffs and CC is 6-12-1  all-time in the conference playoffs which included two-games series back in the late 90’s. Head Coach Chris Howe has made the conference postseason in five of his eight seasons at the helm of CC. The Cobbers have advanced to the finals of the league tournament on three occasions including the match-up with Hamline in 2011. It will be the first home MIAC playoff game for the Cobbers since the 2001 campaign when they dropped a two-game series to St. John’s in the semifinals. CC is 2-2 all-time at home in the conference playoffs and 1-2 in the quarterfinals. Hamline is making its seventh overall appearance in the MIAC postseason but seventh in the past nine years. HU is an impressive 8-4 in the conference playoffs. The Pipers’ playoff run started in 2008 and since then they have been to the conference championship game four times and have won the title twice – including last year when they were also the No.5 seed. Hamline is 4-2 on the road in the playoffs and 2-1 in the quarterfinals. 

Regular Season Match-Ups: The two-game series was played in St. Paul on January 15-16 and each team came away with a win. Hamline won 6-4 on Friday night thanks to a trio of goals in the third period, including two in the final four minutes. Six different Pipers found the back of the net in the series opener. The Cobbers came back on Saturday and bolted out to a 5-0 lead and went on to win 7-3. Like Hamline in the first game, six Cobbers found the net in the finale with Jon Grebosky accounting for two goals. 

Statistically Speaking: The Concordia offense is fourth in the MIAC in goals scored in conference contests (55). CC is also fourth in shots on goal per game in the MIAC and fourth in total shots per game. CC is last in the league in power-play goals and percentage.  Hamline’s offense is just ahead of the Cobbers as they are tied for second in goals scored in MIAC games (58) and assists in the league. The Pipers are also near the bottom of the league in power-play percentage at seventh, even though they have the second most opportunities. 

North Stars: Sophomore Grebosky leads the Cobbers in total points with 25. He has netted 11 goals and 14 assists this season. Senior Jordie Bancroft has 20 points for Concordia with 12 goals and eight assists. The Cobbers’ sophomore goalie Alex Reichle is third in the conference with 583 saves. Hamline’s Charlie Adams is the MIAC’s top point getter and has scored the most goals. Adams not only leads the MIAC in points, but the nation. His 21 goals is the most in the country and his 26 assists is tied for fourth in the nation. Adams also has 26 assists which is second in the league. He also leads the league in shots (90) and power-play goals (5). 

Slap Shots – Three facts to get your primed for the game
- The Cobbers are 3-1 against the Pipers in the last four games played in Moorhead. CC is 9-5-1 in the last 15 games played between the two teams and owns a 73-40-5 overall record in the series which started in 1958.  
- Concordia senior Jordie Bancroft has been a consistent point getter over his four years in maroon and gold. He has totaled at least 20 points in all four seasons and has 95 career points. He is five points away from becoming the first CC player to reach the 100-point level since Marc Terris put up 107 points from 1991-94.
- Hamline senior Charlie Adams has been a one-man offensive wrecking crew. Adams has 116 career points and has 81 points in the past two seasons alone. The all-time Hamline scoring leader is Bob Haskins who had 146 points from 1991-95.    

MIAC Men's Hockey Tournament Page