3rd Period Goals Doom Cobbers

STORY LINE: Despite a strong effort to stay in the game for 50 minutes, the Cobbers didn't have enough in the tank against No. 2 St. Thomas on Friday night as the undefeated Tommies scored two goals in the third period and skated to a 2-0 victory at the Moorhead Sports Center. 

RECORDS: The Cobbers are now 9-7-2 overall and 6-3-2 in MIAC play this season. Concordia has 14 points and remains in third place in the standings. St. Thomas remains unbeaten at 16-0-1 and continues their reign at the top of the MIAC with 21 points. 

SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS: The Cobbers killed off two penalties and drew a tripping call to get a chance on the power play in the first period, but the game remained scoreless after the opening 20 minutes. Concordia would go on to kill all three of its penalties in the game. 

REFRESHER COURSE: Concordia came out for the second period looking like they wanted to take the game over, and the first few minutes provided a pair of scoring chances for the home team. Concordia narrowed the shots on goal gap in the second to 12-7 in favor of the Tommies, but both teams remained scoreless after 40 minutes. 

BLOCKERS: The Cobbers hung in the game down the stretch, blocking shots and holding the Tommies off the scoresheet thanks mainly to the fantastic play of freshman goaltender Emily Musielewicz, but a pair of goals in the third period proved the difference as the Cobbers couldn't find an answer for the St. Thomas goaltender. The Tommies turned up the pressure in the final 10 minutes, and the dagger with just over five minutes left in regulation put an otherwise tight game out of reach for Concordia. St. Thomas outshot the Cobbers 11-1 in the third period and 33-12 in the game. 

OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN: Junior defenseman Maddie Ellingson led Concordia in shots on goal as she put up three shots on the Tommie net. Ellingson had a pair of rushes up the right side of the defense and was able to turn the corner and get shots off as she crashed the net.   

SHOWSTOPPER: Emily Musielewicz stopped 31 of 33 shots she faced in her fourth start of the season. Despite the loss, Musielewicz matched her career high for saves, matching her 31 saves against Saint Mary's on Jan. 12. 

HISTORY LESSON: The matchup against No. 2 St. Thomas marked the first time Concordia has hosted a top-5 team at the Moorhead Sports Center in nearly seven years. Gustavus was the No. 4 team in the country when they came to town on Jan. 27-28, 2012 and earned a win and a tie against the Cobbers. 

UP NEXT: The Cobbers and Tommies will finish out the weekend series tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. inside the Moorhead Sports Center.