(Chelsea, MI) – The Concordia men's hockey team took on the Grand Valley State Lakers on Sunday afternoon for the final game of the fall semester. The Cardinals took control of the contest early, and eventually defeated the Lakers by a score of 4-1.
CUAA came out of the gates with momentum, getting several opportunities on the Lakers goal. The Cards got on the board early, as Kyle Hebner found a bouncing puck in front of the net and was able to fire it in to give Concordia a 1-0 lead. Tyler Bieniek and Abel Christians grabbed assists on the goal.
The Cardinals kept the pressure on, outshooting Grand Valley 17-7 in the period, but couldn't convert as CUAA maintained a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
The middle frame continued with more Cardinal dominance, as Kyle Hebner took a feed from Tyler Bieniek, drove down the left side and pulled up, then hit Derek Hebner in the high slot on the right side of the zone, who ripped a shot past the goalie to double the CUAA lead. Concordia carried their momentum throughout the period, as Brandon Troyer picked up a goal on a loose puck in front of the net on the powerplay with 4:44 remaining in the period. Brayden Tayles and Abel Christians picked up helpers on the score as Concordia took a 3-0 lead into the break.
Grand Valley State responded quickly in the third period, scoring on the powerplay just 1:34 into the frame. Concordia bounced back, however scoring less than two and a half minutes later when Brandon Troyer cut through the middle of the defense and fed Quinn Bieniek on the left side of the slot, who scored to extend the lead back to three. CUAA continued to hold down the fort defensively, finishing the contest with a 4-1 victory.
Stephen-Ward Brown started in net for the Cardinals, making 23 saves on 24 shots in the victory. Concordia outshot the Lakers 42-24 over the 60 minutes of play.
The Cardinals concluded the semester with a 7-10 record, and will be back in action after the new year when they take on Kent State on Friday, January 7th. Puck drop is set for 7:30pm in Kent, OH.
