(Fraser, MI) – The Concordia men's hockey team was back in action Friday afternoon when they opened their weekend series against the Rochester Warriors on the road. The Cardinals got off to a fast start offensively and did not let up through the remainder of the contest, setting a program record in single game goals as they defeated the Warriors, 9-1.
Zachary Janis started in net for the Cardinals going the distance and surrendering just one goal in 60 minutes of play.
Concordia got off to a quick start, as Shane Romback would fire a stretch pass across the neutral zone to Tyler Bieniek, who cut across the blue line and fired a shot past the Rochester goalie to make it 1-0 just 1:45 into the contest. CUAA would double their lead later in the frame, as Shane Romback would feed a pass across to Derek Hebner, who fired a shot on net that popped out in front for Sam Sahr to get a hold of and put top shelf for another Cardinal goal.
With less than a minute to go in the opening period, Concordia was on the attack once again. This time, Tyler Bieniek would fire a pass across the offensive zone to Brandon Kucera, who ripped a shot towards the net that Brandon Troyer redirected past the goalie, making it a 3-0 score as the teams headed into the first intermission.
After some back and forth to open the middle frame, Rochester would strike first just less than halfway into the period, intercepting a Cardinal pass and scoring on a breakaway to reduce their deficit to 2. Just minutes later, however, CUAA would respond, as Derek Hebner jumped out of the penalty box at the expiration of his time served, went in on a breakaway, and deked the Rochester goalie to put the Cardinals back up 3.
Concordia continued to press offensively, opening the flood gates when Carson Ediger tipped home a shot by Kyle Hebner just 33 seconds later. The Cards jumped on the powerplay soon after, and Shane Romback carried the puck across the blue line, found his lane, and fired a shot past the Warriors goaltender just 7 seconds into the man advantage to extend the lead further.
Seth Francois got in on the action right afterwards, punching home a rebound after a scramble in front of the net to make it a 7-1 lead for Concordia after 4 Cardinal goals in under 3 minutes. The score would remain the same through the end of the period as CUAA took a 6-goal lead into the break.
The Cards continued to score in the final frame, when a Quinn Bieniek picked up a puck off a blocked shot and slotted it into the back of the net. Carson Ediger fired home a rebound a few minutes later for his second score of the game, converting on the 9th goal of the contest for the Cardinals, the most in a single game in program history.
Concordia would ride out the lead for the rest of the way, securing a 9-1 victory over the Warriors.
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday night as they host the Rochester Warriors in a WHAC rematch. Puck drop is set for 7pm at the Arctic Edge in Canton, MI
