(Canton, MI) Concordia Men's Hockey returned to their home ice for a WHAC matchup against Aquinas College. The game was a back-and-forth affair, but the Cardinals eventually fell 8-6.
The Cardinals came out of the gates hot with a goal from Bryce Lott in the first four minutes of the game. The 1-0 lead would not last long, however, as the Saints would fire off three unanswered goals in a row. The Cardinals held strong and kept their push into the offensive zone. They were able to find the back of the net at the 1:01 mark from Jack Kallsen to put the score at 3-2 headed into the second period.
The Saints scored in the first minute of the second period on an unassisted goal from Ben Cesario. This period was once again very back-and-forth. An Aquinas goal was taken off the board due to a high stick, leaving the score at 4-2 and the Cardinals within striking distance. They found themselves within one after an unassisted goal from Ethan Lindle. Just a few minutes later the Saints went back up by two on yet another unassisted goal. The two teams would head into the intermission with a 5-3 score in favor of Aquinas.
The first seven minutes of the third period were quiet, before a no-look pass from Derek Hebner to Gavin Scally to Kolton Horn got the party started. Twenty seconds later Ethan Lindle found the net again to tie up the game at five! The frustrated Saints committed a penalty, and thirty seconds later Carson Ediger made them pay with a power play goal. The three goals in a minute of play switched the score from 3-5 to the Cardinals ahead 6-5. The lead would not last long, as five minutes later Aquinas was able to tie it up at six on a goal that bounced off the crossbar. A few minutes later, the Saints found the net again to regain the lead. The Cardinals tried to push with a 6-on-5 for the last two minutes, but an empty net goal gave the Saints an 8-6 final over the Cardinals.
The Cardinals will travel to Aquinas for the second half of the series tomorrow, Saturday November 23rd. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM!
