Mike Szkodzinski did not major in philosophy during his college days, but he’s definitely taking a philosophical approach to his Lawrence University hockey team.
These Vikings are young – really young. Lawrence has 16 freshmen and six sophomores on its roster. All the sophomores are regulars in the lineup, and two-thirds of the freshmen have seen significant action in their rookie campaigns.
So the ancient adage about good habits in your youth making all the difference rings in Szkodzinski’s head.
“The team is about where we expected it to be at this point of the year,” Szkodzinski said. “There have been times when we have been very solid, and others when we really didn’t look so great. That is the sign of a team working to find its identity, learning the importance of the details at this level. We expect to take the lessons learned so far this year and apply them during the rest of the season.”
Despite the youthful nature of the Vikings, several of the rookies have made big contributions.
Freshman goaltender Peter Emery has emerged as the starter from the five netminders on the squad. Emery has all five of Lawrence’s wins and boasts a .924 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average.
“Peter has been solid,” said Szkodzinski, an All-American goalie in his playing days at St. Norbert College. “He has made some big saves at key moments. His demeanor during games has had a calming influence on the entire bench. However, it’s a safe bet that he would be the first one to tell you that he has a long way to go before he reaches his full potential. It certainly helps that there others pushing for his playing time.”
Emery also has gotten a boost from having seasoned veterans like Jameson Raymond and young stars like sophomore William Thoren, an All-Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association pick as a freshman, playing defense in front of him. The Vikings have also had to rely on freshmen defensemen as well, and Szkodzinski said two have stood above the rest. Erik Soderlund does so literally on his 6-foot-4 frame while Killian is a more modest 6-0,
“Erik Soderlund and Kevin Killian have established themselves as quality collegiate defensemen,” Szkodzinski said. “They have brought a physical aspect on the back end that we had been missing at times.”
In the other team’s zone, rookies are also making an impact for the Vikings Forward Patrick Coyne recently won MCHA Freshman of the Week honors, and another freshmen forward, Gustav Lindgren, leads the team with nine assists.
The Vikings, who are 5-5-3 and 4-1-3 in the MCHA, will need those young players to keep maturing because they are entering a rough stretch of the schedule. Lawrence has only one home game in January and will play at 2011 NCAA Division III runner-up Adrian College this weekend before taking on the nationally ranked squad from MSOE in a home-and-home series next weekend.
“We have always approached each and every game one at a time,” Szkodzinski said. “We know the importance of the game Friday night, but we also know that in college hockey, every single game matters and the games get bigger every single weekend.”
Off and running
The indoor track season begins on Saturday when the Vikings travel to the UW-Stevens Point Invitational. The Vikings will again be led by distance star Sam Stevens on the men’s side and former Midwest Conference champion high jumper Rose Tepper on the women’s side.
Numbers game
The high-scoring Grinnell College basketball team makes its yearly appearance at Alexander Gymnasium on Friday night. The Pioneers are 10-0 (6-0 MWC) and feature Griffin Lentsch, who set the NCAA Division III scoring record of 89 points earlier this season.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.