(Canton, MI) – The Concordia men's hockey team was back at the Arctic Edge Saturday evening to host their final home game of the regular season Friday evening against the Aquinas Saints. In a low scoring, back and forth affair, a last minute goal by CUAA would be the difference, securing a 3-2 victory for the Cards.
Anthony Seykora started in goal for the Cardinals, making 25 saves in the victory.
Aquinas would break the ice first, scoring just under 5 minutes into the opening frame to take an early lead in the contest. Concordia answered back less than two minutes later, however, when Hunter Kepple would feed a pass to Jackson Blough in the slot, who fired it quickly past the Saints goaltender to knot the game up at 1, a scoreline that would remain that way through the end of the opening period.
The second frame would begin similarly to the first, as the Saints would convert on a breakaway opportunity just 2:37 into the period to once again take the lead. The sides would continue to earn high quality opportunities through the period and powerplay chances, but it wouldn't be until the 3:33 mark of the period that Quinn Bieniek would race down the left side of the Saints zone and fire a quick shot short side past the Aquinas goalie to tie the contest once again. Brandon Kucera and Brayden Tayles recorded assists on the score, as the teams headed into the final intermission in another deadlock.
The final period of the contest would be all Concordia, outshooting the Saints 23-5 in the third frame. The Cardinals would draw a pair of penalties at the same time, earning them a 2:00 5-on-3 opportunity, but CUAA was unable to convert on that chance. With just over two minutes left to play, however, the Cards would once again go on the powerplay, providing an opportunity for a hero emerge. In this case, it was Quinn Bieniek scoring his second goal of the game from a tough angle with just 57 seconds remaining in the contest (assisted by Hunter Kepple and Seth Francois). His score would prove to be the game winner, as Concordia was able to fend off a final Aquinas push to secure the 3-2 win.
The Cardinals will be back in action next tomorrow, February 11th when they head to Aquinas for their final WHAC contest of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 8pm at Southside Ice Arena in Byron Center, MI.
