Playoff Hockey Arrives Early In Moorhead

MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/03/24)---Playoff hockey arrived early in Moorhead, with two of the Top 5 teams in the MIAC battling to a 2-2 overtime tie at the Moorhead Sports Center.

Concordia and Augsburg played a tight-checking, high-intense game that was befitting of a conference tournament showdown.

In the end, the Auggies were able to come away with the extra point in the conference standings by virtue of a 1-0 victory in the shootout after the teams skated through a scoreless overtime session.

The Cobbers pick up one point in the league standings and have 17 points with a 5-5-2 record. Their point total is good for sole possession of fifth place – the final spot in the MIAC playoffs. CC is one point clear of St. Mary's, who they will face in the final series of the regular season.

With the two points, Augsburg moves into second place in the MIAC standings. They have 26 points and are four points clear of third-place St. Scholastica.

Neither team had more than a 1-goal advantage in the series finale with Augsburg holding leads of 1-0 and 2-1.

Concordia was able to systematically get back in the game and tie the score as they netted two goals from directly in front of the Augsburg goal.

Augsburg scored the game's first goal when they tallied an even-strength goal at 11:58 of the first period.

It would take the Cobbers until the second minute of the second period to score their first goal of the series.

Junior Braden Costello was "Cobber-on-the-spot" when he was able to free himself at the top of the Augsburg crease, stopped a shot from the point off the stick of teammate Bauer Barry, and then pulled the puck to the left side of the goal and into the net after the Auggie goalie had gone down to stop the initial shot from Barry.    

Liam Haslam was also credited with an assist on the play.   

The game remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the final 5 minutes of the second period. Concordia was staked to a power play, couldn't capitalize and then gave up the go-ahead goal directly after the penalty expired.

On the goal, the Augsburg player who was whistled for the penalty, came out of the penalty box, took a pass from a teammate and scored on a breakaway as all the Cobber power play unit was inside the Auggie end of the ice.

The goal at 15:07 sent the teams into the second intermission with Augsburg clinging to a 2-1 lead.

The third period started in the same fashion as the second with Concordia scoring in the second minute of play. The Cobbers were able to come up with the game-tying goal immediately following a power play. They had the puck in the Auggie end and Cole Lehmann was able to get the puck to Ben Luedtke. Luedtke started to carry the puck behind the goal but slipped a sweet backhand pass to Troy Dahlheimer, who was standing on the right side of the goal. Dahlheimer just redirected the perfect pass on goal and suddenly the game was tied at 2-2.

The goal was Dahlheimer's third of the season.

The game stayed tied at 2-2 for the final 18 minutes of the third period, but it was Concordia who had the better of the chances down the stretch. CC played its best hockey of the series in the final five minutes and outshot the Auggies 10-0 in the final 8 minutes of regulation.

The best chance of the overtime period came in the dying seconds when Cobber junior Mason Plante found himself alone in front of goal but his shot was stopped by Augsburg goalie Sammy Vyletelka.

Concordia missed all three of their shootout attempts with the Auggies getting the extra-point winner on their third attempt which turned into a bit of controversy as Concordia thought the attacker had stopped when he got to the goal which would have nullified the successful attempt.

Neither team scored on the power play in the series. Both teams were 0-for-4 on Friday and the Cobbers duplicated that number on Saturday. Augsburg was held scoreless in their three extra-man advantages in the final.

Concordia goalie Matt Fitzgerald made 33 saves in the game as the Cobbers outshot the Auggies 37-35 in the game and 77-64 in the series.

Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe led all players with a career-high eight shots on goal. He now has 61 shots on goal for the season, which leads the team and is tied for eighth in the MIAC.  

UP NEXT: Concordia will hit the road for its final away series in the regular season next weekend. CC will play at Gustavus on Feb. 9-10.   

CONCORDIA vs. ST. MARY'S HIGHLIGHTS