27 Seconds Of Offensive Is All It Takes In 2-2 Tie

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/23/15)--- After struggling to find the net for the first 57-minutes of the game, Concordia struck for two goals in a span of 27-seconds and erased a 2-0 deficit to come away with a 2-2 overtime tie with Augsburg.    

The Cobbers dominated the second and third periods and put up 28 shots on goal but had nothing to show for their attacking play but a two-goal hole. The game changed in a span of 27 seconds after the Auggies took a 5-minute major penalty for checking from behind and the Cobbers were able to take advantage of the 5-on-4 situation with two goals in the 18th minute of the final frame of regulation.

The tie gives Concordia one point in the league standings and keeps them in a five-team mix that are separated by three points from third to seventh place. The Cobbers have not lost in three games and move to 4-10-2 in all games and 3-4-2 in conference games. CC has nine league points and is in seventh place in the conference standings. The Auggies end a three-game losing streak and now have 10 points in the MIAC. Augsburg is 6-7-3 overall, 4-3-2 in the conference and in fourth place.

Augsburg scored the first goal of the game before the crowd had settled after the national anthem. The Auggies went ahead 1-0 at the 1:33 mark of the opening period. That goal would remain the only score on the board until the third period when Augsburg doubled their lead after converting on a 2-on-1 rush at the 12:52 mark.

The story of the first two-plus periods of play was Concordia's inability to score on the power play. The Cobbers had a single power play in the first period, two more in each of the second and third periods before converting late in the game on the major penalty.

Augsburg looked like they would skate away with a win in the opener of the two-game series but that changed at the 14:04 mark of the third period when senior Bekah Wright drew a 5-minute major penalty for checking from behind. Wright raced the puck past the Auggie defender on the right wing and was then ridden into the boards from behind as she tried to drive to the net.

The Cobbers looked like their power-play woes would continue as they pumped four shots on goal in the first three minutes of the man-advantage situation.

Concordia finally got on the board on a "seeing eye" shot from Morgan Bruns that managed to elude a pile of players in front of the net before sneaking into the top right corner of the goal. Wright and Maddy Gendreau were credited with the assists on the play.

Concordia vs. Augsburg Highlights - Jan. 23, 2015

Once the vault was finally cracked, Concordia was able to make another withdrawal within 20 seconds. Sophomore defenseman Chelsey Petrich picked the perfect opportunity to go forward and score her first collegiate goal. Petrich took control of the puck in the neutral zone and decided to gain the Auggie end by skating the puck rather than passing it or dumping it in. She then raced past the faceoff circle and cut towards the net. The Augsburg defense failed to block her path and Petrich was able to get an intial shot on net from just outside the left side of the crease. The first shot was stopped by Augsburg goalie Erika Allen but the rebound came right back to Petrich as she cut into the middle of the goal. Petrich showed the touch of a 20-goal scorer and hammered the rebound back into the goal.

Her unassisted tally at 17:36 tied the game and it looked like CC might even get a third goal on the power play to win the game. Unfortunately they were unable to convert in the final two minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime.

Concordia had a power play opportunity in the extra session but several point-blank shots were turned aside by Allen.

Concordia finished the game with a 30-21 edge in shots on goal. The Cobbers had half their shots in the third period alone. Gendreau led the Cobbers with five shots on goal and has now led CC in shooting for three of the past four games. She now has a team-high 53 shots on goal. Gendreau is eighth in the MIAC in that statistical category.

Cobber junior goalie Madison Denny stopped 19 of the 21 shots she faced and earned her first tie of the season.

The two teams will try and duplicate their exciting finish when they play the final game of their two-game series on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. at the Moorhead Youth Rink.