Goal King Cole

MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/16/21)----Goal King Cole was in full effect on Tuesday. Cole O'Connell scored a natural hat trick in the second period, tied a school record with four total goals, also added an assist and proved to be the offensive catalyst in the Cobbers' 6-2 win over Hamline.

The win is the third straight for Concordia who has scored at least six goals in all three of the victories. CC has lit up the scoreboard for 20 goals in the past three games which is the most in a 3-game stretch since the 2011 season when they all posted 20 goals in a 3-game stretch against Finlandia and Northland.

The game was played as a non-conference contest between the teams, and ups the Cobbers' record to 4-2-1 on the year.

The game didn't start out like it was headed for another Cobber offensive explosion. The two teams battled through 9-minutes of scoreless play, with the Pipers holding the better of the offensive zone time.         

Hamline (1-4-0) opened the scoring ledger at the 9:16 mark of the opening period. The Piper goal ultimately served as a wake-up call for Concordia. The Cobbers would score a trio of goals in a span of 4:10, starting at the 13:30 mark.

Freshman Braden Costello started the 6-goal spree when he finished off a 2-on-1 with Ryan Pogue. The first goal of the game was Costello's third of the year and second in the last three games.

O'Connell began his 4-goal outburst 2:52 later when he scored the prettiest goal of the night. He took control of the puck just outside the Piper zone and drove down the left wing. A Hamline defender tried to slide over and went to his knees to sweep the puck away from O'Connell. O'Connell used a little toe drag swag to pull the puck past the defenseman, and then all in one motion snapped off a shot that slew just inside the right post.

Senior defenseman Alex Stoley scored the eventual game-winning goal on the power play at the 17:40 mark. The goal was his second in as many games. Stoley took a pass from O'Connell at the top of the faceoff circles and lifted a wrist shot into the top right corner that eluded a pile of players in front and went over the glove hand of the Hamline goalie who had gone to his knees to try and see the puck.      

The assist for O'Connell would help his 5-point game. The other helper on the play was awarded to All-American Tyler Bossert who had four assists on the night.

Concordia took a 3-1 lead into the break and then O'Connell took over from there.

The first of his natural hat trick goals came on the power play midway through the second frame. He drove into the Piper zone on the left wing on a 3-on-3 rush and dropped the puck to Bossert. O'Connell then drifted to the top of the right faceoff circle where Bossert fed him a perfect pass. O'Connell teed up a 1-timer that whistled into the net before the HU goalie had time to react.

The second of the natural hat trick, and his third of the game came when the Cobbers were shorthanded. Once again it would be Bossert who set the table. Bossert won a race to the puck at the Cobber blue line and chipped the puck up the right boards to O'Connell, who took the puck in stride and raced all alone on the breakaway and finished off the shorthanded strike.

The final goal of the natty came at the 15:19 mark and was assisted by Bossert. The only non-special team's goal of the period, came directly off of a faceoff. Bossert won the draw in the right circle, pushed it through the Hamline center's legs, collected the puck on the other side and slid a perfect pass to the far post where O'Connell was waiting for the tap in.

The goal was O'Connell's fourth of the game and team-leading fifth of the year. He is now tied with Brady Tatro for the team lead.

O'Connell became the first Cobber player to score four goals in a game since 1977, and he is only the third player in program history to score more than three goals in a single contest.

Sophomore goalie Matt Fitzgerald was steady throughout the 60 minutes in his first collegiate start and earned his first college win. He made 22 saves on the night.

Concordia outshot the Pipers 34-24 in the game and was 2-for-6 on the power play.

The Cobbers kept Hamline scoreless on their five power play attempts and have only allowed three power play goals on the year which is tied for fourth fewest in the MIAC.

UP NEXT: Concordia will finally hit road. After playing their first seven games in the friendly confines of the Moorhead Sports Center, the Cobbers will travel to Northfield to face St. Olaf in a 2-game series on Nov. 19-20.     

COBBER 4-GOAL CLUB:
Cole O'Connell; vs. Hamline; 11/16/21
Dave Perry; at St. Mary's; 1/22/77
Ray Weisgarber; at St. Mary's; 1/21/77