MEQUON, Wis. – On Friday night, the Concordia University Wisconsin men's hockey team lost to the Concordia Moorhead Cobbers, 2-5. 

The first period appeared to be heading for a scoreless tie until junior Derek Humphreys (Spokane, Wash.) caught the Cobbers' defense off guard with just 24 seconds left. He slid the puck to freshman Levi Carter (Keremeos, B.C.), who fired a shot to put the Falcons ahead, 1-0.

Junior goalie Gabe Rosek (East Lansing, Mich.) was strong in net, recording 13 saves during the period.

Meanwhile, the second period saw both teams remain scoreless, with the Falcons holding onto their 1-0 lead as they entered the third.

However, the Cobbers came out aggressive in the final frame, leveling the score just 1:33 into the period. The Falcons responded with 14:32 remaining when freshman Connor Van Weelie (Mississauga, Ont.) and sophomore Riley Klugerman (Aurora, Ont.) set up sophomore Alex Ochitwa (Prince George, B.C.) near the crease, who redirected the puck into the net to reclaim a 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, the Cobbers surged back, scoring four unanswered goals in the last 15 minutes, including two power-play goals and an empty-netter to seal the game.

Despite the loss, Rosek made an impressive 43 saves, while Van Weelie won a team-high six faceoffs.

Ochitwa led the Falcon offense with six shots, followed by freshman Devon Savignac (Sudbury, Ont.) and junior Noah Roitman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), who each contributed three shots.

The Blue and White look to rebound in the weekend series as they face off against the Cobbers again on Saturday at the Ozaukee Ice Center with the Concordia Cup on the line.