(Farmington Hills, MI) - The Concordia Men's Hockey opened up their second series of 2023 on Friday night against another ranked foe, this time playing the 12th-ranked Lawrence Tech Blue Devils. Despite outshooting them in the contest, the Cardinals would be unable to keep up with LTU on the scoreboard, losing 5-1.
The Cardinals began the game with good momentum, drawing 4 penalties in the opening frame, but were unable to beat the LTU goaltender in the 1st period. The Blue Devils would score early in the first and go onto hold that lead through the rest of the frame, carrying a 1-0 lead into the intermission.
Hunter Kepple would get Concordia even during a 4-on-4 just under 6 minutes into the 2nd period, however, when he intercepted a Blue Devil pass, danced around an LTU defender, and and fired the puck into the top left corner past the goalie on a mini-breakaway.
LTU would counter with a fast response of their own, scoring a pair of goals less than 2 minutes later and piling on 4 before the end of middle frame to give themselves a 5-1 advantage heading into the final break.
The Cardinals fought back, killing a pair of penalties early in the frame and earning one for themselves in the final period of play, but despite them outshooting the Blue Devils 14-6 and holding them scoreless in the last frame, they would be unable to convert as the score remained 5-1 when the final seconds expired.
Zachary Janis started in net for the Cardinals, making 21 saves as he played the entire 60 minutes of hockey.
The Cardinals will return home on Saturday, January 14th for a rematch with these same Blue Devils at the Arctic Edge in Canton, MI. Puck drop is set for 8:30pm.