Fourth line lifts Men's Hockey to series split with No. 13 MSOE

MEQUON, Wis. – The fourth line of Stefen Seel, Braden Crone and Connor Hogg, along with the defensive pairing of Eli Riddle and Brandt Weldon, played a huge role in helping lift the Concordia University Wisconsin Men's Hockey team to a 3-1 win over MSOE. The win, which was just the second in program history over the Raiders, means the two schools will each control the Lake Michigan Cup over the next year. MSOE will have the cup for six months, followed by the Falcons.

THE BASICS

- Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, No. 13 MSOE 1
- Location: Ozaukee Ice Center – Mequon, Wis.
- Records: MSOE 2-2-0, 2-2-0 NCHA, Concordia Wisconsin 2-2-0, 2-2-0 NCHA

HOW IT HAPPENED

- After falling behind just 4:14 into play, the Falcons responded with a power play goal from Seel (freshman – Invermere, British Columbia) 7:45 into the first. Seel redirected a shot from Riddle (senior – Blissfield, Mich.) to tie the score at 1-1, while Crone (sophomore – Metiskow, Alberta) also assisted on the play.

- The second period saw two CUW goals scored 3:09 apart from one another, giving the Falcons the two-goal cushion. Weldon (junior – The Pas, Manitoba) sent in a perfect slap shot 8:35 into the second for the 2-1 lead on a play assisted by Seel and Hogg (freshman – London, Ontario).

- Freshman Nick Erb (London, Ontario) gave the Falcons a 3-1 advantage 11:44 into the second on a snipe assisted by Weldon and Seel. Weldon did a tremendous job keeping the play alive in the zone, sliding the puck to Erb who was there to finish with the goal for a two-goal lead.

- Freshman Jack Romanuik (Melfort, Saskatchewan) had an outstanding debut for the Falcons as he made 23 saves for the win. Romanuik stopped 20 of those shots in the first two periods as CUW dominated possession in the third with a 16-3 edge in shots.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- The win was just the second in program history for the Falcons over MSOE. The other victory also came at the Ozaukee Ice Center, a 6-5 win in the regular season finale two years ago.

- Every play on the Falcons fourth line of Crone, Seel and Hogg finished with a positive +/- rating. Crone and Seel, along with the defensive pairing of Weldon and Riddle were plus two in the contest, while Hogg added a plus one rating. Erb also finished with a plus one rating for the Falcons on Saturday.

- The Falcons penalty kill continues to get it done as they have killed off all 20 opponent power play opportunities this season. On Saturday night CUW stopped all four of the Raiders chances with an extra man, which included a brief 24-second 5-on-3 for MSOE late in the second period.

UP NEXT

- The Falcons will return to action next weekend with a pair of home NCHA games against Finlandia. CUW will first host the Lions on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Ozaukee Ice Center.