MOORHEAD — The Concordia Men’s hockey team battled St.Olaf in back to back games last weekend earning a tie and a win.
In the first game, on Friday Jan. 24, Concordia found themselves down 3-1 with less than ten minutes left in the third period. However, the Cobbers rallied with goals by junior Caden Triggs and first-year Jackson Lucia sending the game into overtime tied 3-3. Neither team managed a goal in the extra period, ending the game in a tie.
Less than 24 hours later Concordia and St.Olaf took the ice again for the second game of the series. Concordia jumped out to the early lead in this one with the first two goals being scored by Concordia juniors Joe Harguindeguy and Caden Triggs. St.Olaf responded by scoring two goals of their own, tying the game up heading into the third period. From there Concordia dominated, scoring three goals in the period and coasting to a 5-2 victory.
The win could prove pivotal down the stretch as the Cobbers fight for a spot in the MIAC playoffs. As of Sunday Jan. 26, Concordia ranks fifth in the MIAC with a 4-4-2 conference record. Both players and coaches are aware of how the next few weeks will affect the team’s playoff hopes.
“The goal for the remainder of the season is the same as when we started. Give it all we got on the ice and secure a playoff spot,” said senior forward and team captain Hanson O’Leary.
“We just need to win. If we win more games than we lose over the course of these next 8 we’ll be in a good spot. At the moment, Gustavus is running away with the conference, but the other playoff seeds (2-5) are very much in the air between the remaining eight teams,” said head coach Kirk Olimb.
More than just making the playoffs, the team has aspirations to win the MIAC, and internally the belief is strong that they can achieve that goal.
“We need to continue to play the right way and stick with our systems… from there we will focus on each playoff game individually and bring back a MIAC championship to Concordia,” said O’Leary.
“The goal is to of course win every game we play and win the MIAC Playoffs. I genuinely believe we can do so with the group we have if we play the right way and buy in,” said Olimb.
In order to continue winning the team wants to keep improving on defense, an area they’ve identified as a weak point.
“Defensively we have struggled. This mainly comes from us straying from our systems and not paying attention to details. Moving forward we know the key to success is being defensively minded and generating offense from defense,” said O’Leary
Hopefully, this weekend was an indication of progress as Concordia scored eight goals while only allowing five and outshot St.Olaf 60-50 over two games. On the flip side, both player and coach cited their depth and experience as a strength that has been vital this season.
“Our depth has allowed us to trust everyone in any situation. With many injuries, we have been able to adapt and overcome situations that aren’t always in our favor,” said O’Leary.
“Our depth, especially up front, I believe is a huge advantage as we have the ability to have a ‘next man up’ mentality on a game-to-game basis. I’m hopeful our experience will pay off down the home stretch,” said Olimb.
The team only has six regular season games remaining with three at home and three on the road. Their next game doesn’t come until Friday, Feb. 7 against Hamline, giving the team almost two weeks off. The extra time off could give the Cobbers the extra rest and practice time they need to finish the season strong.
“I strongly believe that those two weeks off will positively impact us as a team. This will give us a chance to rest and most importantly get healthy. It will also give us an opportunity to assess where we are in the MIAC and go from there,” said O’Leary.
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