By MEAGHAN UPDIKE
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
WINONA, Minn. — It was a true see-saw affair between Concordia and the Saint Mary's University men's hockey team through the game's first two periods Friday evening.
 
The Cobbers would go up, and the Cardinals would answer — again, and again, and again.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Concordia went up — and stayed up — in the third period.
 
Concordia scored a pair of third-period goals — including an empty-netter with 50 seconds remaining — to hand the Cardinals a 5-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
 
The Cobbers struck early in the first period — very early — as Joe Burgmeier scored off an assist from Tanner Okeson just 10 seconds in.
 
The lead did not last long, as Jack Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) scored — off assists from linemates Tommy Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Ryan Stoynich (Calgary, Alberta) — to knot the game at 1-1
 
Concordia regained the lead at 13:58 of the opening period, only to have Saint Mary's answer — exactly five minutes later — on a goal by Owen Sikich (Wolfeboro, N.H.) to make it 2-2 after 20 minutes of play.
 
Less than three minutes into the second period, Concordia had a golden opportunity to break the 2-2 deadlock, but Saint Mary's goalie Al Rogers (North Haven, Conn.) stoned CC's Alex Stoley on a penalty shot to keep the game tied.
 
Rogers may have stopped Stoley, but he could not keep Burgmeier from finding the back of the net for a second time, as the Cobber junior gave CC a 3-2 lead at 4:28 of the middle frame.
 
And for the third straight time, the Cardinals had an answer for the Cobbers' goal, this time coming off the stick of Kyle Meeh (Fenton, Mo.), who scored at 12:31 to make it 3-3 heading into the game's final 20 minutes.
 
Neither team had the upper hand early in the third period, but the Cobbers broke the stalemate on a goal by Jacen Bracko at 11:37 and Stoley added an empty-netter with 50 seconds remaining to round out the scoring.
 
Rogers finished with 37 saves in goal for Saint Mary's, while Jacob Stephan stopped 33 Cardinal shots in goal for the Cobbers.
 
The Cardinals (1-4-2 MIAC, 2-10-3 overall) get another shot at the Cobbers on Saturday, when the two teams return to the Saint Mary's Ice Arena for the second game of their two-game MIAC series. Game time is set for 2 p.m.