Yellowjackets 4, Concordia Wisconsin 3
SUPERIOR, Wis.: Between their opponent's result last night and the way Saturday's contest started, you couldn't help but blame anyone if they thought the game with Concordia Wisconsin was going to be easy.
The Falcons entered the game coming off a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of UW-River Falls, and the Yellowjackets started fast Saturday. Really fast.
But in the end the game was a much more difficult tilt than it appeared at the beginning. The Yellowjackets scored twice in each of the first and second periods and came from behind to defeat the Falcons 4-3 Saturday night at Wessman Arena.
The same person that opened the scoring Friday did so again Saturday.
Chad Lopez (Arlington, Texas/University of Texas at Arlington) found the back of the net just 1:16 into the game Saturday, taking a pass in the neutral zone from
Daniel Litchke (Superior, Wis./Superior), and letting a shot go from the top of the circles that beat Falcon goaltender Bo Didur high to the stick side to make it 1-0.
From there the first period turned, and for a while it was all Falcons. Concordia tied the game at 9:48 when Connor Hogg fired from the right circle and beat
Cole Skinner (Lunenberg, Nova Scotia/Parkview Education Centre) high on the glove side to tie the game. Andrej Buchko gave Concordia the lead at 13:26, picking up a rebound at the top of the crease to score his first goal of the season. Moments later it became a 3-1 game, as Braydon Barker drove the net and tapped in a pass to finish off an odd-man rush.
After that, Skinner and the Yellowjacket defense locked things down, letting the offense find its footing and get back in the game.
A pair of penalties in quick succession gave the Yellowjackets a 5-on-3 power play and they didn't waste the opportunity. Litchke moved the puck from the slot to the right circle and
Bruno Birzitis (Riga, Latvia/Riga Distance Education Secondary) was there to blast the one-timer past Didur for his first of the year and cut the Concordia lead to 3-1 with 1:37 to play in the first period.
The Yellowjackets drew even with another power play goal early in the second. For the second time in the game Concordia was called for two penalties in quick succession, and for the second time the Yellowjackets took advantage. Birzitis earned his second point of the game and Litchke his third when
Troy York (Plano, Texas/West) took a pass in the left circle and let a rocket go that beat Didur up high, tying the game 3-3 just 5:28 into the second period.
As the period moved past its midpoint the Yellowjackets took their second lead of the night, and once again it was York doing the honors. York fired from the left circle and Didur made the save, but he followed the play and found a loose puck near the goal, poking home an unassisted goal at 11:27 to push the Yellowjackets ahead 4-3.
Both teams were in a bend, but not break mode the rest of the way, and as time ticked down in the third Concordia pulled its goaltender for an extra attacker. The Yellowjackets were strong, however, and didn't allow Concordia the chance to tie the game.
Skinner got the win in goal for the Yellowjackets, finishing the game with 20 saves. The Yellowjackets outshot Concordia 42-23 for the game.
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (1-0-1, 0-0-0 W.I.A.C.) will hit the road and take on nationally-ranked Augsburg University Friday, November 2. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The game can be heard live on 91.3 FM KUWS beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 p.m.
