MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin men's hockey team dropped a 5-3 decision to the MSOE Raiders, pushing their record to 2-5-0 overall and 1-3-0 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) play.
The Falcons struck first on the power play with 3:01 remaining in the first period. Senior Seth Bergeron (Minneapolis, Minn.) deflected the puck in for his first goal of the season, with junior Noah Roitman (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and freshman Devon Savignac (Sudbury, Ont.) earning assists. This was Roitman's first assist of the year, giving CUW a 1-0 lead.
The Falcons held onto their advantage through the first intermission, with junior goalie Gabe Rosek (East Lansing, Mich.) making nine saves in the opening frame.
However, the Raiders came out strong in the second period, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead into the final frame.
CUW responded early in the third period when sophomore Matt Koepke (Vernon Hills, Ill.) scored with an assist from Savignac, who recorded his first multi-assist game as a Falcon. The goal pulled the Falcons to within one at 3-2.
Despite the momentum shift, the Raiders capitalized on a short-handed goal after the Falcons pulled their goaltender for an extra skater, pushing their lead to 4-2.
The Falcons refused to back down, capitalizing on a power-play opportunity when junior Derek Humphreys (Spokane, Wash.) scored, with freshmen Jack Guvenal (Georgetown, Ont.) and Evan Forrest (Spruce Grove, Alta.) each picking up their third assist of the season on the play. This cut the lead to 4-3 with 1:50 remaining.
However, with just one second left on the clock, MSOE sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, securing a 5-3 win.
In goal, Rosek recorded 27 saves in the loss. Junior Bryar Dittmer (Chatham, Ont.) also had a strong defensive showing, blocking three shots.
Offensively, the Falcons were led by Koepke and Humphreys, each registering four shots on goal.
The Falcons will regroup and prepare for their next challenge as they host Lake Forest College for the first round of the Border Battle Cup on Friday, November 22nd.
