Yellowjackets Drop Another 2-1 Decision

Jordan Shockley

Box Score

Concordia 2, Yellowjackets 1

It was a case of Deja Vu for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team on Saturday. Coming off Thursday's 2-1 loss at St. John's the team was looking to rebound and keep its record above the .500 mark. Instead, they left Moorhead, Minnesota with a 2-2 record following a game that unfolded very similarly to Thursday's affair.

Concordia scored once in each of the first two periods, sandwiching goals around a single marker for the Yellowjackets to pick up the 2-1 win before a sparse Saturday afternoon crowd at the Moorhead Sports Center.

The Yellowjackets had some chances in the early going, but time and again they were unable to solve Cobber goaltender Alex Reichle, who stopped all 10 shots he saw in the frame.

Concordia opened the scoring late in the first when a slick pass from Garrett Hendrickson found Jordie Bancroft between the circles, and his wrist shot beat Yellowjacket starter Cory Simons (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) up high to give the Cobbers a 1-0 lead. The goal came at 16:10.

Early in the second period the Yellowjackets tied it. Great puck movement on the power play saw Matt Audette (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln) with the puck on the left side. He moved it to the right point to Wes Judnick (Virginia, Minn./Virginia), who quickly sent it back to the left circle to Jordan Shockley (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School). The sophomore forward wired a wrist shot past Reichle on the short side, scoring his first of the year and knotting the game at 1-1. The goal also snapped a 0-for-14 slump the Yellowjackets were enduring on the power play.

Midway through the second period Concordia found itself on a two-man power play. The Yellowjackets were able to kill the penalties off, but Concordia seized the momentum and kept the Yellowjackets pinned in their own zone. On their heels, the Yellowjackets were trying desparately to clear their zone, only to have Concordia hold the line time and again. With 2:01 left in the second period, a missed clearning attempt was held in by Rylan Henley at the left point. His long shot then eluded Simons for his first of the year, and Concordia moved ahead, 2-1.

As the third period unfolded it had a striking resemblance to Thursday's third. The play was devoid of flow, providing an abundance of faceoffs. And as much as they tried, the Yellowjackets just couldn't generate any kind of offensive attack in search of the tying goal. With an extra attacker on the ice, the Yellowjackets' final advances were turned away and Concordia secured the win.

The Yellowjackets took six penalties for 12 minutes in the game, while Concordia was whistled five times for 10 minutes. The Yellowjackets were 1-of-3 on the power play and a perfect 4-of-4 on the penalty kill.

Reichle earned the win in goal for Concordia, finishing the game with 21 saves. At the other end, Simons made 23 saves in his debut for the Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets (2-2-0, 0-0-0 WIAC) return home to host Saint Mary's University Friday, November 14. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and can be heard live locally on 91.3 FM in Superior, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 p.m. If you are outside the local listening area, you can tune in online through the iFan Sports Network. Jon Garver will have the call.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Matt Audette: D; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#8 Wes Judnick: D; 6' 3"; Junior

#17 Jordan Shockley: F; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#30 Cory Simons: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#3 Matt Audette
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: D

#8 Wes Judnick
: 6' 3"; Junior
: D

#17 Jordan Shockley
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: F

#30 Cory Simons
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G