Box Score Duluth, MN - Saint Scholastica Saints Men's Hockey took on the Cobbers of Concordia Moorhead in a physical matchup at the Mars Lakeview Arena. A frustrating second period from the Saints produced all four goals for the Cobbers, leaving the Saints in a 4-0 defeat.

How it Happened

1st Period

The Saints started the game off with intensity, as the first shot of the game by Tristan Shewchuk (Saskatoon, SK, Canada/St. Joseph HS) got the game underway. The Cobbers were able to exchange their offensive attempts, pushing the Saints to adapt defensively. A quick counter attack from the Saints nearly put them ahead, with Shewchuk having his quick shot saved. By the midpoint of the first period, both teams were able to create even opportunities, with the Cobbers recording six shots to the Saint's five.

The matchup continued on, and tensions escalated throughout the rest of the period. During a power play, consecutive shots from Jacob Seitz (Mountain Iron, Minn./Virginia HS) and Shewchuk applied the pressure for the Saints.

In the final minute of this highly contested period, Saints goalie Eino Rissanen (Sonvillier, Switzerland/Lycée Blaise-Cendrars) delivered a crucial double save to deny the Cobbers of a lead. The first period ended scoreless, with the Cobbers out-shooting the Saints 15-9.
 

2nd Period 

The second period began with the Cobbers firing five shots within just three minutes, all of which were successfully shut down by Rissanen. However, at 4:43 the Cobbers capitalized on their sustained pressure, breaking the deadlock.

The Saints struggled to gain momentum in the second period, as Concordia maintained their aggressive play. At 7:57, back-to-back shots from Isaac Suppin (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada/George Elliot Secondary) and Riley Girod (Calvet, SK, Canada) nearly leveled the game for the Saints following a well-worked offensive play, but the Cobbers goalie thwarted their chances.

Concordia soon regained their momentum, scoring their second goal at 9:27. Following the goal, tensions escalated again as Matej Palfy (Kosice, Slovakia/Gymnasium Trebisovska) and Joe Harguindeguy of Concordia both received roughing penalties. Halfway through the second period, the Cobbers had extended their shot tally to 25, compared to the Saint's 16.

Despite the relentless pressure, Rissanen was able to make several more saves to prevent any more goals. Following a quick counter attack, Rissanen made yet another crucial save in a one-on-one situation; however, just 24 seconds later the Cobbers increased the deficit to 3-0 despite being short-handed.

With just 41 seconds left, the Cobbers capitalized on their pressure again, making the score 4-0 on a Concordia power play.

3rd Period
The final period of this physical matchup had the Saints fighting hard for a comeback, with early shots from Hunter Hanson (Blaine, Minn./Blaine HS) and Braeden Holcomb (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) in an attempt to narrow the deficit. However, the Saints struggled to regain confidence following a difficult second period.

The Cobbers were able to control the tempo of the rest of the game, applying pressure and racking up more shots. Rissanen ended the game with 42 saves.

The final score of tonight's game between the Saints and the Cobbers ended 4-0 in favor of Concordia.

Up Next
The Saints (8-7-1, 3-4-0 MIAC) will face Concordia again tomorrow, Saturday, January 18 here at the Mars Lakeview Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m. here in Duluth.