Falcons Dominate Third Period to Defeat Drury

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Concordia Wisconsin ACHA Hockey team advanced to the third day of the Central Regional Tournament on Saturday afternoon, scoring three goals in the final period of play to take a 5-2 victory over the Drury Panthers. The win secured an opportunity for the Falcons to play for their second consecutive berth in the National Tournament.

The Panthers struck first just 25 seconds into the contest, as Jakob Holley poked a loose puck into the Concordia net to take an early lead. The goal marked a strong start for a Drury team that had won its previous five games entering the match.

Fresh off of a victory in the NCHL Hap Cup, the Falcons evened the game just past the halfway mark of the opening period. Junior Garrett Wilderman (Waukesha, Wis.) took responsibility for Concordia's first goal of the game, capitalizing on a defensive zone turnover by the Panthers.

Drury retook the lead in the early stages of the second period, as Keegan Ferguson scored on a one-timer.

After having their first 17 shots of the period stopped, the Falcons found the equalizer in the final minute of the second frame. Freshman Chuck Emme (Glenview, Ill.) found Wilderman through traffic across the ice, and the latter found the back of the net for his second goal of the game to knot the score at two.

Senior Easton Williams (Racine, Wis.) granted Concordia its first lead of the day 7:21 into the third, storming through the zone and trading the puck with fellow senior Lukas Krueser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) before firing it into the Panthers' net. Freshman Rocco Cicirello (Mequon, Wis.) notched an insurance goal for the Falcons just 91 seconds later to take a 4-2 lead, building the lead off of a pass from senior Nick Roberts (Milwaukee, Wis.) on an odd-man rush.

Concordia's penalty kill kept Drury at bay late in the third, nullifying a 5-on-3 opportunity in the game's closing minutes. Cicirello picked up his second goal of the game with 36 seconds remaining in the period, finding the empty net from the Falcons' side of the neutral zone.

Concordia put 60 shots on net for the second time in its last four games, while senior netminder Ian Robertson (Calgary, Alta.) tallied 19 saves for the Falcons in the contest.

The Falcons will play for a berth in the national tournament on Sunday, February 25 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Falcons and Golden Gophers met in the Central Regional Tournament last season, with Concordia emerging victorious in overtime.