(Toledo, OH) – The Cardinals went down to Toledo to face off with the University of Toledo Rockets on Friday evening. Concordia shutout the Rockets for the entire 60 minutes on the way to a 5-0 victory.
The first period consisted of a back and forth battle between the two teams, with each side managing high quality opportunities for goals and produced several near misses. After the first 20 minutes, however, the game was knotted at zero.
The second period was more of the same, as the Cardinals kept the momentum going, recording 13 shots in the frame. Concordia struck early in the second, as Tristan Waechter took a rebound off an Abel Christians shot, deked around the goalie, and finished to give the Cardinals the 1-0 lead. CUAA kept pressing, with Brayden Tayles taking a loose puck in front and sniped into the right side of the net for his first career goal. Abel Christians and Hunter Kepple picked up assists on the score.
The Cards weren't done, however. Tristan Waechter controlled the puck below the goal line, sent a pass to the slot that was tipped by Carson Ediger directly to Hunter Kepple, and Kepple sniped as the Concordia all-time goal scoring leader recorded his first goal of the season.
The third period continued with more of the same, as a pair of young Cardinals joined the scoring barrage. Mid-way through the period, Carson Ediger found a loose puck in the high slot and fired a shot between several Rocket defenders, beating the goalie for his first goal as a Card. Liam Kenney would conclude the Cardinal scoring, as he received a feed at the point from Tyler Bieniek and sniped into the top right corner to give Concordia a 5-0 lead with 9:11 remaining in the third. CUAA's offense was impressive the entire game, finishing the contest with 38 shots on goal.
Anthony Seykora held down the Cardinals between the pipes, recording 32 saves in a shutout victory. Seykora's shutout was the first of his collegiate career and just the second in Concordia Cardinal men's hockey history; the first coming in October of 2019.
The Cardinals will be back in action tomorrow night as they host Toledo in a rematch. Puck drop is set for 6:30pm at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea, MI
