(Chelsea, MI) – The Concordia men's hockey team took on the Aquinas Saints Saturday evening in a rematch of the night before. Aquinas jumped out to a 2-0 lead and would use the early advantage to carry themselves to a 5-2 victory.
The Saints had a fast start to the game, jumping on the Cardinals and applying pressure throughout the first, outshooting Concordia 17-2. Eventually, Aquinas was able to convert, scoring twice in the final 5:05 of the period to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
Concordia would bounce back in the second, however, as Tyler Groth rushed the puck up the right side, came into the Aquinas zone, and ripped a slap shot glove side that beat the Saints goaltender to cut the deficit in half with 13:42 remaining in the period. The frame would continue with back and forth action, including breakaway opportunities for both sides, but Aquinas would extend the lead back to 2 just before the end of the second period.
The third started just as the second did for the Saints, as they connected on another powerplay goal just 18 seconds into the final 20 minutes. Concordia would not go away however, as Tristan Waechter used a Cardinal powerplay of his home to score and bring the game to a 4-2 score with 17:25 to go. Hunter Kepple and Brandon Kucera picked up the helpers on the goal.
While the Cardinals continued producing opportunities, Aquinas was able to close the door on a comeback with a fifth goal coming at the 10:10 mark of the final frame. The Saints would ride that three goal lead out the rest of the game for a 5-2 victory.
Anthony Seykora started in net once again for the Cardinals, putting up another impressive performance with 41 saves as he kept Concordia in the contest.
The Cardinals have their third straight chance at the 21st-ranked Saints on Thursday, December 9th. Puck drop is set for 2:40pm at the Southside Ice Arena in Byron Center, MI.
