Riddle sets career assists marks in Men's Hockey setback at top-ranked SNC

DE PERE, Wis. – For the third time in program history, the Concordia University Wisconsin Men's Hockey team battled the No. 1 team in the country, facing off against St. Norbert College Friday night. The Falcons found out exactly what the pollsters see in the Green Knights, falling 7-1 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association action.

St. Norbert built a 5-0 lead after two periods en route to the six-goal victory. The Green Knights used a 44-16 edge in shots, including a 21-5 advantage in the second period, to handle the Falcons.

One bright spot for CUW came early in the third period when sophomore Tanner Bull (Brooklin, Ontario) recorded a power play goal. On that play, junior Eli Riddle (Blissfield, Mich.) recorded his 37th career assists, resulting in a new CUW record. Riddle surpassed Jari Sanders (2007-11) in the record books. Junior Chris Hughes (Dundee, Mich.) also assisted on the play.

The rest of the night was all Green Knights as they opened a 3-0 lead after one period. Tyler Zepeda had two assists in the first for SNC as he finished with a game-high three helpers. Pijus Rulevicius added two goals and an assist, tying Zepeda with a game-best three points, along with Mason Baptista (one goal, two assists). Adding two points for St. Norbert was Blake Thompson, Cullen Bradshaw, Tanner Froese and Marian Fiala.

Freshman Dylan Frank (Truro, Nova Scotia) got the start on Friday and played the entire game. He faced a flurry of shots, and recorded a career-best 37 saves. His counterpart, David Jacobson, finished with 15 saves.

The two teams played a relatively clean game, combining for just seven penalties. St. Norbert capitalized with two power play goals on three chances, while the Falcons were 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

CUW (6-10-0, 2-7-0 NCHA) will return to the ice tomorrow night when they host the Green Knights. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. with live coverage links being available at CUWFalcons.com.