Bracko's Trick Leads To Series Sweep

ST. PAUL, Minn. (1/25/20)---Junior Jacen Bracko put up a hat trick and helped Concordia beat Hamline 5-1 to complete the 2-game series sweep. It's the first conference series sweep of the season for the Cobbers and extends their unbeaten streak against Hamline to seven games.

Concordia broke open the series finale in a span of 3:26 in the first half of the second period. The Cobbers took a 2-1 lead into the second 20-minutes of play but then broke free when they scored three unanswered goals starting at the 4:50 mark. Bracko started the trio and then finished it off at 8:16 of the period. Jake Ellingson had the middle goal as Concordia bolted away from the Pipers.

The win is the third straight for the Cobbers. Concordia ups their overall record to 7-8-2 on the season. CC is above the .500 mark in conference play for the first time all season and is 4-3-1 in league games. The Cobbers currently have 14 MIAC points and are in sole possession of fifth place.

Hamline falls to 3-12-4 overall and 1-6-3 in the MIAC.

Concordia never trailed in the game. Quinn Fuchs put the Cobbers up 1-0 in the third minute of play. He scored his first goal of the year at the 2:12 mark and it would be the first of four points in the game for the senior. Alex Stoley earned his second assist of the year on the even strength goal.

The Pipers would tie the game 3:17 later when they responded with an event strength goal of their own at 5:29.

The score would remain deadlocked until Bracko started his scoring spree at 13:38. Fuchs had the only helper on the eventual game-winning goal.

CC held a 2-1 lead at the break after outshooting Hamline 15-5 for the first 20 minutes.

Concordia put the game on ice when Bracko scored his second goal at 4:50. Fuchs added his second assist and Tanner Breidenbach recorded his second point of the weekend on the play.

Ellingson pushed the score to 4-1 with a goal 5:33. It was his fifth of the year and was assisted by Matt Donnelly and Joe Burgmeier.

Bracko capped the trio of goals at 8:16. Fuchs and Jaret Lalli earned the helpers on the Cobbers' fifth even strength goal of the game.

Concordia outshot the Pipers 33-20 in the game including 29-9 in the first two periods of play.

Senior Jacob Stephan recorded his fourth win of the season by stopping 19 shots.

Neither team cashed in on the power play. The Cobbers were 0-for-4 with the Showcase. extra skater while Hamline was held scoreless in their six chances.          
 
INSIDE STAT INFO: The three goals scored in the second period continued a season-long trend for CC. Concordia has scored 52 goals on the year and 19 have come in the middle period – the most of any period on the season. The Cobbers scored five of their 10 goals in the series in the second period.

THE STAT HOLDS TRUE: It happened again. When Concordia scores at least three goals in a game they remain unbeaten on the year. The Cobbers are now 7-0-0 when they score more than two goals in a game.
  
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME IT HAPPEND: The last time a Cobber had a hat trick in a game was in the second game of last year when Mario Bianchi scored three times against Gustavus in a 3-0 win on Oct. 28 in the MIAC Showcase.
  
UP NEXT: The Cobbers will look to continue their win streak when they host Bethel in a 2-game series on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Moorhead Sports Center. The Royals are the surprise team of the year in the MIAC. Bethel was picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll but is now tied for second place in the league standings with a 4-3-3 record. BU is coming off a sweep over St. Mary's and is unbeaten in its last three games.   

Saturday recaps sponsored by Bufffalo Wild Wings: Grab your friends and get to B-Dubs on Sunday nights for College Nights at 9 p.m. 50% off 1 food item with ID and $3 apps at the Buffalo Wild Wings located on Hwy 10 in Moorhead.