Heart Break And Character In St. Peter

ST. PETER, Minn. (3/03/12)-- Concordia gave up four straight goals in the second and third periods and lost 4-2 at Gustavus in the championship game of the MIAC Tournament. The loss is the first in the last nine games for the Cobbers and puts CC in a pool of teams for three at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament.
 
Concordia (15-5-5) had the better of the play in the early going of the game. The Cobbers were able to get the puck through the neutral zone and into the Gustie end and then create chances with their forecheck. Concordia was rewarded for their early-game momentum when Katelyn Dold scored midway through the opening frame. Dold slammed home a centering pass from Ali Nelson after Nelson carried the puck into the Gustavus zone on the left wing. Dold's 11^th goal of the season at the 10:49 mark would spark the Cobbers for the rest of the period and then into the second stanza.

Neither team was able to generate much offense in the first 20 minutes of play as the teams combined for only 11 shots on goal in the period. The play went back and forth from the tops of the circles with each defense refusing to give away quality chances in the middle of the ice.

The game continued at the up and down pace until the six minutes of the second period. The pivotal play of the contest came with just over 5:00 minutes to go. With Concordia already trying to kill of an interference penalty, Cobber defenseman Allie Bondy was blatantly checked from behind into the boards, fell face first into the glass and crumpled to the ice. With Bondy lying motionless on the ice, the play continued and Gustavus was able to play the puck in front of the Concordia goal. A Cobber player then knocked down a Gustie forward in front of the goal and was whistled for a penalty. Concordia was then faced with having to kill off a 5-on-3 man-advantage situation while Bondy was still lying prone on the ice. There was no call on the textbook check from behind into the boards - a check whose equal has severely injured players and has been a point of emphasis in enforcement this season – and the play was allowed to continue until the fateful penalty on CC was called.       

The Cobbers were able to kill off the first penalty but then gave up the game-tying goal on the gift-wrapped second power play. Concordia's momentum had been drained and Gustavus was able to add a second goal in the final minute of play before the second intermission.

Seizing control of the game, Gustavus (23-2-2) then put the contest on ice in the first seven minutes of play in the final frame. The Gusties scored a third time at the 2:19 mark and then made the score 4-1 on a nifty passing play in the Cobber zone that freed Mollie Carroll for her second goal of the game.

The size of Concordia's heart and character were shown in the final 10 minutes of the game. Facing a three-goal deficit, the Cobbers turned up their offensive attack and produced several quality goalmouth chances that nearly produced a goal. CC wound up outshooting GAC 8-3 after allowing the fourth goal of the game. Nelson would get the Cobbers within two goals when she hammered a shot from the point that found the top right corner of the net. Her power play laser at 13:49 was her sixth goal of the season.

Concordia tried to press to get within one, and even pulled their goalie with less than three minutes to go in the game, but was never able to come up with another goal.

Shots on goal were virtually even for the game. Gustavus held a 22-20 edge in a game that was controlled by the defense. Both Cobber freshman goalie Becca Hendrickson and Gustavus goalie Danielle Justice made 18 saves in the game.

Both teams had one power play goal in the game. Concordia was 1-for-2 on their man-advantage situations while GAC had one goal in their three power play chances.

The Cobbers will now have to wait until Monday morning to find out if they are selected for one of the three at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament. Concordia was ranked second in the final NCAA West Region rankings. The NCAA selection show will be on Monday, Mar. 5 at 9 a.m. on the NCAA.com website.