Falcons Stave off Sault

Written by CUW Student Assistant Lance Schulteis

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - The Concordia Wisconsin ACHA team improved to 1-2 on the season, battling their way back after a pair of close losses to begin the season. The Falcons outdueled Sault College 6-4 on Thursday night, taking the first game of the season series against the Cougars.

The Falcons opened the scoring at the 11:55 mark of the first period, as a Trenton Sherman (Farmington, Minn.) one-timer off of a John Swiatek (Rochester, N.Y.) pass on a two-on-one deposited the puck into the back of the Cougars' goal.

Sault would respond less than three minutes later, as a Jordan Ritchie shot from the blue line went top shelf on goalie Ian Robertson (Calgary, Alta.) to knot the score at one.

After a scramble in the Falcons' offensive zone, Swiatek would bury the puck from the slot to reclaim Concordia's lead, just two minutes after seeing the Cougars tie the contest. Determined to build on the lead, the Falcons would continue putting pressure on Cougars goalie Trennis Riley, who made a series of key stops as the period came to a close. Sault would also come close to scoring down the stretch, catching the post with just over twenty seconds left in the frame.

The Falcons maintained a strong offensive presence as the second period began, building on their lead at 3:11. Easton Williams (Racine, Wis.) would put the puck under Riley's glove with a laser, pushing the score to 3-1.

As the clock ticked away on the second period, the Falcons were able to fully seize control of the contest, as a three-on-two saw a nifty spin-o-rama pass from Tommy Cassel (Grafton, Wis.) find Ian Malcolmson (Waukesha, Wis.), who easily found the back of the net to give the Falcons a 4-1 advantage. Determined to put a dent in the lead with the time left on the clock, Ethan Esposito scored for the Cougars on the power play just minutes later, narrowing the deficit to 4-2 as the third period drew near.

Despite the trading of goals at the end of the second, it wasn't until the 7:52 mark of the third period that either team registered a goal, with the tally coming from Concordia's Chuck Emme (Glenview, Ill) to push the Falcons comfortably ahead.

The clock continued to wind down, and each dying second would only feed into the Cougars' desperation to battle back. Finally, at 14:25, they had their spark. Kieran Nordman blasted a shot past Robertson, giving Sault the momentum it needed down the stretch. Only 20 seconds later would the Cougars cut the lead in half, as a pass from Cole Crowder to Esposito in front of the goal crease left an open net for Sault's fourth goal of the game.

Despite the surge of pressure coming from the Cougars, the Falcons defense kept them at bay, allowing only two shots on goal in the final five minutes of the game. An empty-netter from Emme from the far face-off circle sealed the win, giving Concordia their second victory in as many games.

Ian Robertson finished the evening with 25 saves in the victory. 

Having completed the first leg of a back-to-back-to-back, the Falcons will battle Lake Superior State on the road at 6:00 tomorrow night, looking to win their second consecutive game.