ACHA Hockey Closes Season with Win Over No. 5 RedHawks

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - The Concordia Wisconsin ACHA Hockey team finished its 2023-24 campaign on Wednesday afternoon, topping the No. 5 Miami RedHawks 7-6 in the squad's third contest of the ACHA National Tournament.

Colin Hartwell opened the game's scoring for Miami, sliding a rebound into the Concordia net just shy of three minutes into the first period.

The Falcons lit the lamp twice in response, powering ahead on the scoreboard due to a pair of goals just over two minutes apart. Freshman Chuck Emme (Glenview, Ill.) notched Concordia's first goal of the afternoon, firing a puck from the slot after intercepting a Miami pass in the offensive zone. Freshman Michael Sobczak (Wood Dale, Ill.) then took responsibility for the go-ahead score, as a shot from fellow freshman Jaxon Hill (Bismarck, N.D.) resulted in a loose puck in front of the net.

Hartwell tied the game with his second score of the day 27 seconds after Sobczak's goal, and Miami reclaimed its one-goal advantage before the end of the frame via a power play goal in its closing minutes.

The Falcons opened the second period on the man advantage and wasted no time in finding the equalizer, as senior Lucas Kreuser (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) tallied his first goal of the tournament from a sharp angle just short of the goal line. Senior Easton Williams (Racine, Wis.) put Concordia ahead shortly thereafter, carrying the puck up the ice before sending it into the RedHawks' net.

The two squads traded goals over a 50-second stretch midway through the period, as Gus Anderson potted his own rebound for Miami to tie the game before Emme blasted a one-timer on an odd-man rush for his second score of the contest.

After squaring the game at five goals before the end of the second, the RedHawks found their third lead of the game early in the final period. 

Emme completed a hat trick for Concordia 12:19 into the frame, knotting the score at six on the power play. Continuing the game's trend of scoring in bunches was senior John Swiatek (Rochester, N.Y.), who granted the Falcons the lead 59 seconds later. The goal proved to be the game-winner, as Concordia took the contest by a 7-6 margin.

Senior netminder Ian Robertson (Calgary, Alta.) recorded 38 saves for the Falcons in the outing.

After leading Concordia with 51 points and 83 assists in the regular season, Emme finished the National Tournament as the team's leading scorer.

The Falcons conclude the season with a record of 25-12-2, having won the program's first Hap Cup while making its third appearance in the National Tournament in the last four campaigns.