135 Seconds Of Offense Saves The Day

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/23/16)—Concordia came up with an improbable three-goal rally in the third period and tied Augsburg 3-3 in overtime. The Cobbers then beat the Auggies in the shootout to gain the bonus point in the MIAC standings.

Concordia fell behind 3-0 at the 1:46 mark of the third period and some fans headed for the exits as the Cobbers' offense had sputtered all afternoon. That offensive malaise changed in a span of 135 seconds. Jordie Bancroft scored two goals in a span of only 12 seconds and then Adam Wiertzema added the game-tying goal 123 seconds later to send the remaining die-hard fans to their feet.

The rescued overtime tie and subsequent shootout win gives Concordia 17 conference points with a 5-2-1 record. CC is in fourth place in the league standings. Augsburg, by virtue of their one point for the overtime tie, jumps into the conference lead with 19 points – just two ahead of the Cobbers. Concordia is now 7-8-2 in all games while the Auggies move to 10-6-1.

Concordia could never get on track in the Augsburg defensive end for the first two periods of play. The Cobbers were able to generate quick chances but could never sustain extensive offensive zone time.

The quick strike approach finally found its way into the net in the sixth minute of play in the final period. The Cobbers gave up, what seemed to be, a back-breaking goal early in the final period but then Bancroft used his speed and scoring skill around the net to throw Concordia a lifeline.

Bancroft scored his first goal by speeding up the right wing. He gained the Augsburg zone and instead of trying to cut to the net around the Auggie defense he chose to go all the way around the back of the goal in order to beat everyone to the back post. His speed move paid off as he was able to slide home the wraparound shot before the Auggie goalie could get over to the right post.

His goal at 5:36 was assisted by Bryan Kronberger.

Concordia was able to win control of the puck after a scrum in the center ice circle after the faceoff. The puck was knocked to Garrett Hendrickson on the right wing. Hendrickson skated wide into the Auggie end and then threw a backhand at the goal from the top of the right faceoff circle. The dying quail backhand handcuffed the Augsburg goalie and the rebound caromed to freshman Matt O'Dea who was crashing the net.

Odea then chipped a backhand pass to the front of the goal where Bancroft calmly collected the puck and then slid it into the unattended net.

Bancroft's second goal came at 5:48 and was his sixth of the season.

Wiertzema then brought the crowd to its feet by scoring just 123 seconds later. He was the recipient of hard work from Jeremy Johnson and Tucker Coborn. The pair hustled to keep the puck in the Auggie end and gain control behind the net.

Johnson sent a centering pass which found an open Wiertzema and he went top right corner over the goalie's left shoulder. It was Wiertzema's second goal of the season.

Neither team was able to score for the final 12:09 of the third period and then the five-minute overtime session.

The bonus point was won in the shootout by three stops from Cobber goalie Alex Reichle and converted attempts from Jon Grebosky and Mario Bianchi. Grebosky scored on the third attempt and then Augsburg tied the shootout with a goal on their third chance. Bianchi then won the shootout with a precision wrist shot from between the faceoff circles.

The shot totals were nearly even. Concordia outshot the Auggies 34-32 in regulation but Augsburg had a 5-2 edge in overtime and wound up with a 37-36 advantage for the game.

Bancroft, Bianchi and Hendrickson all had four shots to lead the Cobbers.

Reichle came up with 34 saves to earn the tie for his season record.

The game was a relatively penalty-free affair. Concordia was whistled for three penalties while Augsburg only had two infractions for the 45 minutes.

Concordia vs. Augsburg Highlights

COBBERS + AUGGIES + MOORHEAD = SHOOTOUT SUCCESS

The shootout on Saturday marked the third time in the past four games played in Moorhead between the two teams that the outcome has been decided in a shootout. And all three shootouts have been won by the Cobbers. The squads settled both of their games in the shootout in the 2013-14 season. CC won the series opener 1-0 in the shootout and then claimed the victory in the finale with another 1-0 decision. Andrew Deters score the lone goal in the first shootout and then Jordan Christianson had the winner in the second.

SECOND-GAME SCORER
Jordie Bancroft continues his trend of gathering points in the second game of the series. The Cobbers have had five two-game series against opponents this season and Bancroft has posted at least one point in all five second games. Bancroft has 11 points on the year and eight have come in the series finale.      
  
WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia will hit the road for a pair of games in St. Peter next weekend. The Cobbers will face Gustavus on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29 and 30. The Gusties tied St. Olaf twice this past weekend and lost both shootouts to the Oles. GAC is 3-10-4 overall and 2-4-2 in the MIAC.