Hamline Game 2 Recap

Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: January 22

Gameday Scoring Summary

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Concordia	0	0	3	3
Hamline	0	0	0	0

Gameday Game Recap

ST. PAUL, Minn.-- For two periods Concordia repeatedly knocked on the Hamline door but weren't allowed to enter and entered the final 20 minutes locked in a 0-0 tie with Hamline. It took just :34 into the third period for sophomore Lisa Graham to kick the door over and lead the Cobbers through the entry way for a 3-0 win over the Pipers in St. Paul.

Graham entered the game scoreless in the team's first 14 games and picked the perfect moment to score a pair of goals in the final period and help Concordia win for the fourth time in the past six games.

The victory keeps the Cobbers locked into fifth place in the MIAC. They are currently only two points behind third place. The win also helps Kerry Norman's crew keep pace for the place. The top five teams in the league earn a trip to the conference tournament at the end of the season.

Concordia is now 4-4-2 in the MIAC and 4-8-3 overall. The Cobbers are now at the .500 mark in conference play for the first time since the beginning of the 2003-04 season.

Hamline loses for the first time in three games and sees their MIAC record fall to 2-6-2 and their overall record drop to 3-8-4.

In what was a pivotal series for both teams, Concordia earned three out of a possible four points by sticking to the tried and true philosophy for winning hockey games - great goaltending and timely scoring.

While Graham and defenseman Ceara Bergsrud were supplying the offensive punch, senior goaltender Jenna Johnson was making sure that the scoreboard operator had nothing to do for the first two periods. Johnson completely shut down the Piper offense by stopping all 22 shots they managed to throw on net. By keeping the Cobbers in the game in the first two periods she made sure that Concordia was able to pull away from the Pipers in the final period.

By blanking Hamline, Johnson earned her second shutout of the season and second in the past six games. During the Cobbers' recent winning stretch, she has stopped 138 of the 148 shots she has faced, has a save percentage of .932 and has posted a 4-1-1 record.

The teams appeared to be heading for a second straight tie through the first two periods. Although Concordia held the 23-16 advantage in shots, neither team was able to crack the solid goaltending at either end. Even the power play chances were even as both teams went 0-for-4 on the man-advantage situation in the first 40 minutes.

That all came to a crashing halt when Graham poached her first goal of the year just :34 into the final period. Less than six minutes later Bergsrud scored her second goal of the series as the Cobbers finally broke free on the power play.

Johnson made sure that Hamline would never get within striking distance and Graham iced the game with an empty-net goal at the 19:43 mark. Bergsrud was credited with an assist on the play, capping her three-point weekend. She is currently tied for the team lead in points (9) with freshman Alyssa Dahl.

The Cobbers finished the game with a 38-22 advantage in shots on goal. Hamline goalie Rachael Young held back Concordia for the first two periods and in the end finished with 35 saves.

The Cobbers went 1-for-6 on the power play and were whistled for six penalties, while the Pipers were held scoreless on the power play - going 0-for-5.

Concordia will continue their month-long road trip when they play at St. Mary's next weekend. The Cobbers will face off against the Cardinals on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:05pm and then again on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2:00pm. Both games can be heard live the St. Mary's web site at:

http://sports.smumn.edu/general/webcasts.html