ALBERT LEA, Minn. – The Warriors found a way to score a very big win Friday night.

Battling to erase a two-goal deficit starting the second period, then holding on in the third, the Waldorf hockey team handed Concordia a 7-6 setback in NAIA hockey at the Albert Lea Ice Arena.

"We got some outstanding offensive performances from a few guys, and other guys stepped up to chip in in other ways," Waldorf head coach Brett Shelanski said.

The victory gave Waldorf (4-15-2, 10 points) two key points which helps the Warriors fend off Concordia (3-11-1, 7 points) in the NAIA standings as the two teams started a three-game series on Waldorf's home ice. That series continues Saturday with game-time scheduled for 7 p.m.

Trailing 3-1 after the opening period, the Warriors came charging back as Sean Mallonee scored his first of two goals on the night with 4 minutes, 6 seconds gone in the session.

Ryan Veillet then scored his first of two, as well, tying the game with 11:15 left in the second.

Taylor Karr snapped the tie just 27 seconds later, then 21 seconds after that, Veillet scored his second as Waldorf score three goals in just 58 seconds.

"We showed good composure and resilience as a team coming back in the second," Shelanski said.

Branden Woodward finished off a five-goal flurry, scoring with 3:14 left in the second to give Waldorf a comfortable 6-3 lead.

Maybe too comfortable as the Cardinals scored with 8.5 seconds left in the second period.

Waldorf got what proved to be the game-winner on the power play with 5:39 gone in the third when Mallonee scored off assists from Sean Teske and Kaden Hintz, reestablishing a three-goal edge for the hosts.

The lead dwindled as Concordia scored with 9:24 left, and closed to the final 7-6 margin with 2:54 still left to play.

"We played too tentatively and back on our heels in the third, but found a way to win," Shelanski said as Waldorf was outshot 13-5 in the third period but got 33 saves from Jeffrey Veitch in the win, including 11 in the final period.

Mallonee added three assists in the win, as did Hintz, while Nick Johnson also had two helpers for Waldorf.

ALBERT LEA, Minn. – For a second straight night, seven proved to be the Warriors lucky number.

The Waldorf hockey team put seven pucks in the net for the second game in-a-row, which proved to be plenty as the Warriors skated past Concordia, 7-4, in NAIA action at the Albert Lea Ice Arena.

"Other than the first minute of the game it was a pretty good effort," Waldorf head coach Brett Shelanski said. "Our scoring was spread out a bit with nine guys having at least a point; we got important contributions to the win from the whole lineup."

But the night didn't start off so perfect, as the visiting Cardinals scored 13 seconds into the action, and made it a 2-0 game just 41 seconds later.

After surrendering two goals in the opening 54 seconds of action, though, the Warriors (5-15-2, 12 points) took control.

Caden Tchop scored off an assist from Nick Johnson, cutting the lead in half, and after Concordia made it a 3-1 game, the Warriors got a power-play goal each from Sean Mallonee and Taylor Karr for a 3-3 score at the end of the first period.

Sean Teske assisted on Mallonee's first of the game and third of the weekend, and Braeden Pearce and Ryan Veillet had the assists on Karr's goal.

Pearce then broke the tie with 6:28 left in the second period, finishing off a pass from Veillet that put Waldorf on top, 4-3.

Unlike one night before, when the Warriors had to fend off a third-period comeback, Waldorf dominated the final frame as Mallonee scored off assists from Kaden Hintz and Tristan Klewsaat, and Nick Johnson scored off helpers from Tchop and Parker Todd for a 6-3 lead.

Concordia (3-12-1, 7 points) scored with 9:01 left to play, drawing as close as 6-4 down, but the Warriors remained in control and iced the win when Pearce scored off a Teske assist on the power play with 2 minutes left on the clock.

"I liked our determination to finish the game strong in the third," Shelanski said.

Ryall Purdy finished with 32 saves in goal in the win for Waldorf, which wraps up the three-game weekend series hosting Concordia one last time on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Albert Lea Ice Arena.

ALBERT LEA, Minn. – Going for the weekend sweep, the Waldorf hockey team continued its relentless attack on visiting Concordia.

That offensive assault led to 14 goals in the first two games of the weekend NAIA series, and two Warrior wins.

Waldorf peppered Cardinals goaltender Elijah Gibbons with 47 shots on Sunday, but this time Concordia's netminder came up with just enough stops to fend off the Warriors, who fell 3-2 at the Albert Lea Ice Arena.

The hosts got off to a good start as Ryan Veillet scored 8 minutes, 3 seconds into the action, finishing off assists from Taylor Karr and Braedan Pearce.

But the Warriors (5-16-2 overall, 12 points), who scored in bunches the previous two games, found a wall in goal in Gibbons, who held off the hosts for the next 40-plus minutes.

That effort in goal allowed the Cardinals (4-12-1, 9 points) to rally with a goal in the first, another in the second, and eventually what proved to be the game-winner with 3:54 gone in the third.

Down 3-1, Waldorf made a late charge as Nick Johnson scored with 7:24 left on the scoreboard clock, a goal assisted by Caden Tchop and Nick Nakagawa.

Trailing by a single goal, the Warriors continue their determined attack but couldn't get another puck past Gibbons as the Cardinals took the finale of the three-game weekend series.

Jeffrey Veitch made 36 saves in goal on the other end of the ice for the Warriors, who next play at Lindenwood-Belleville this coming Friday and Saturday.