Saturday Success Secures MIAC Playoff Berth

WINONA, Minn. (2/14/15)— If Fridays have been the stumbling block for Concordia, then Saturdays have been the launching pad for another playoff push. The Cobbers shook off an overtime loss on Friday and exploded for eight goals in an 8-3 playoff-clinching win at St. Mary's on Saturday.

The win clinches Concordia's fourth MIAC playoff berth in the last five years. It is also the Cobbers' 10th win on a Saturday this season. CC is now 10-0-3 on Saturdays this year.

Concordia finishes the regular season with an 8-5-3 conference record and a 13-8-4 overall mark. The Cobbers, who have a bye on the final weekend of the league's regular-season slate of games, have 28 points in the MIAC standings and are currently tied for first place. CC could finish anywhere from second to fourth place in the final standings.

Concordia spotted St. Mary's (12-9-2/7-5-2 MIAC) the first goal of the game and then scored six of the next seven. The Cobbers would make sure there would be no back-and-forth scoring line like there was on Friday night after they scored three goals in a span of 2:06 midway through the opening period.

CC fell behind 1-0 in the fourth minute of the game but then exploded for a trio of goals at 10:31, 10:45 and 12:37. Zach Doerring opened the scoring and then Jordan Christianson gave Concordia the lead for good before senior captain Andrew Deters popped home a shorthanded goal to finish of the three streak.

St. Mary's would add their second goal at the back end of the period and then the Cobbers would score three straight in the middle of the second stanza to put the game on ice. Tucker Coborn got the first and third goals of the period and Bryan Kronberger added the one in the middle. It was Kronberger's first collegiate goal.  

Jeremy Johnson and Jon Grebosky finished off the scoring extravaganza for Concordia in the third period.

Johnson finished the game with a goal and two assists to post a career-high three points. He now has seven points in the last five games. Johnson also pushed his season total to 20 points and is the third CC player to reach the 20-point plateau for the season.

Doerring also had an assist and has six points in the last five games while Coborn's two goals give him a similar six points in five games.

Concordia was outshot 43-27 in the game with Grebosky having a game-high six shots on net. The 43 shots by the Cardinals are the most given up by the Cobbers in a single game this season.

Alex Reichle made 40 saves in the game to earn his sixth win of the year.            

Concordia will now wait until next Saturday to find out where they finish in the standings and where they will play in the conference postseason.