Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Concordia-Wisconsin scored three unanswered goals in a 7-5 win over Saint John's hockey on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 15, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

Sophomore forward Davis Kirkendall (Hamel, Minn.) gave SJU (2-4-4, 1-1-3 MIAC) a 5-4 lead, its first since the first period, with his sixth goal of the season 7:37 into the third period.

The Falcons (6-4-1, 2-3-1 NCHA), however, answered 31 seconds later to tie the game and again 1:18 after that to gain a 6-5 lead. CUW sealed the win on an empty-net goal with 1:17 remaining. 

SJU out-shot the visitors by a 49-29 margin, including a 19-7 edge (28-8 attempted) in the third period.

Junior forward Ryan Kero (Hermantown, Minn.) led SJU with a hat trick, the first by a Johnnie since Andrew Commers '16 scored three goals in SJU's 5-4, triple-overtime loss at Augsburg on March 5, 2016, in the MIAC Playoff championship game.

Braydon Barker put CUW on the scoreboard first 1:46 into the game before Kero erased the 1-0 deficit with a pair of goals, a tip in front off a shot from junior defenseman Travis Brown (Otsego, Minn.) 1:41 later and a wraparound with 7:18 remaining.

Nick Guerra tied the game on a breakaway goal with 1:47 left in the opening frame and gave the visitors a 3-2 lead 3:09 into the second period. Kero completed the hat trick with a power-play goal at the 9:15 mark of the second.

Brandon MacKinnon gave the lead back to the Falcons with a shorthanded goal at the 12:13 mark of the second period, but sophomore forward Brady Dahl (Rochester, Minn.) responded with a shorthanded goal of his own, off a pretty 2-on-1 from Kirkendall, with 4:48 remaining in the second.

Junior goaltender Mac Berglove (Elk River, Minn.) made 22 saves in the loss.

The Johnnies return to action in the New Year with a pair of non-conference games Jan. 4-5 in Boston. SJU takes on Hobart (N.Y.) at 3 p.m. ET Saturday at the Warrior Ice Arena and either Bryn Athyn (Pa.) or Nichols (Mass.) Sunday, depending on Saturday's results.