(Ann Arbor, MI) - The Concordia men's hockey season looks to be a unique one due to COVID-19, including the season's start having been pushed back a few weeks and a shorter Fall 2020 schedule. Last season, the team finished 6th in the WHAC during their first year under head coach David Wohlberg. Going into their third season as a program, the Cardinals present a core that is growing in experience mixed with a strong Freshman class.
2019-20 Season Review
Concordia finished with a 5-26-0 record during the 2019-20 season. A highlight of the season was their appearance in the Buffalo Meltdown Tournament in November, where they defeated Mercyhurst in a classic shootout victory to open the weekend, and then topped the University at Buffalo 4-2 on the final day of the showcase. The Cardinals continued to cement themselves as the comeback kids during WHAC play, coming back from a three goal third period deficit against Rochester in January, eventually finishing the job off with another shootout win. They would finish 6th in the WHAC before being ousted by 3rd seeded Aquinas in the conference tournament.
2020-21 Schedule Outlook
The Cardinals will begin their season with a pair of non-conference games against WHAC foe Lawrence Tech with a weekend series on October 16th and 17th. Following up, they will take on the LTU Blue Devils once again in another non-conference series on November 6th and 7th.
Concordia will complete their fall schedule with another four non-conference games against fellow WHAC member Cleary. The Cardinals and Cougars will first meet on November 20th and 21st, and then finish 2020 off with another series on December 4th and 5th.
Kicking off the 2021 part of their schedule, Concordia takes on a pair of weekends against non-conference opponents, starting with the series now dubbed the "Battle of the Huron" against the crosstown rival Eagles from Eastern Michigan on January 8th and 9th. The Cardinals will follow that weekend up with a home-and-home against the Toledo Rockets on January 15th and 16th.
The WHAC conference schedule then begins on January 29th, as the Cardinals take on Cleary for the fifth and sixth time of the season with games on the 29th and 30th. Following that, CUAA will take on their conference rivals from Fort Wayne, facing off with Indiana Tech on February 5th and 6th.
After a weekend off, Concordia will finish off their 2020-21 season with three consecutive weekends of conference series, starting against Lawrence Tech on February 19th and 20th. Following that, the Cardinals will take on the Rochester Warriors on the 26th and 27th. Finally, CUAA completes their regular season with games against the Saints of Aquinas on March 5th and 6th.
Cardinal Roster
The 2020 men's hockey team has 25 total players, including 16 returners (14 of them being upperclassmen). Included in these returners are top tier offensive threats Hunter Kepple (JR/Freeport, PA) and Thomas Hendry (JR/Salt Lake City, UT), who tallied 27 and 25 points for the Cardinals last season, respectively. Other notable returning forwards that look to help carry the offensive pace are Abel Christians (JR/Grand Rapids, MI) and Tristan Waechter (JR/Fairfield, CA).
Returners holding down the defensive end include Tyler Groth (SR/South Lyon, MI), who finished fourth on the team in goals and fifth in points, and Brendan Pfeiffer (SR/Ypsilanti, MI), a defenseman that finished sixth on the team in points. Coming back between the pipes will be CUAA's top two all time save leaders in Matthew Monendo (SR/Livonia, MI) and Elijah Gibbons (SR/Savannah, GA).
Concordia also introduces nine new players to the team, with Kyle Hebner (SO/Harbor Springs, MI), Quinn Bieniek (FR/Romeo, MI), Brandon Troyer (FR/New Baltimore, MI) and Tyler Bieniek (FR/Romeo, MI) looking to help boost the Concordia offense. On the defending side, Jack Geraghty (FR/Bloomfield Hills, MI), Benjamin Jones (FR/South Lyon, MI) and Brandon Kucera (FR/Howell, MI) aim to bring instant contributions. The Cardinals also brought in two more players in net, as Anthony Crews (FR/West Bloomfield, MI) and Stephen Ward-Brown (FR/Howell, MI) are new faces between the pipes for CUAA.
Connect with the Cardinals
To stay up to date with the most recent information and news throughout the season, follow the Concordia Men's Hockey team on their social media platforms. The Cardinals are on Twitter (@CUAA_MHockey). Keep up with games with live stats at concordiacardinals.com and with other content on the CUAA Cardinals Youtube channel.
