ACHA Hockey Stopped By the Sabres

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – The Concordia ACHA Hockey team met the Marian Sabres in its third and final contest of the JOG Winter Classic on Sunday afternoon, falling in a close 5-3 game. The loss moved the Falcons to 16-7-1 on the season.

Senior forward Ian Malcolmson (Waukesha, Wis.) led the offensive attack for the Falcons, securing a place on the scoresheet for all three Concordia goals. After tallying the first, he picked up assists on the other two Falcons scores to represent his eleventh game of the season with three or more points.

Malcolmson's tally for Concordia stood as the equalizer late in the first period after Marian scored the game's opening goal halfway through the frame.

Neither squad found the back of the net until the final period of play, as the Sabres took the lead 30 seconds into the third. Once again, the Falcons evened the game, as junior Garrett Wilderman (Waukesha, Wis.) struck just over six minutes later.

Marian found a pair of goals just four minutes apart as the third period evolved to take a hold on the game, but senior defenseman Rex Staudacher (Yorkville, Ill.) sliced the lead in half with 1:35 remaining to play.

As the Falcons made a late push to draw back to even, the Sabres' defensive unit emerged victorious, thwarting the comeback attempt. A final goal in the dying seconds of the game restored the two-goal lead to cement a 5-3 reading on the scoreboard.

Senior netminder Vincent Falcone (Elgin, Ill.) recorded 17 saves for Concordia in the effort.

The Falcons will look ahead to the Miami Showcase in Oxford, Ohio, on January 19-20 where they will take on the Davenport Panthers and No. 7 Liberty Flames.