Hockey

Category: Hockey

Moore’s late goal lifts Lawrence past Castleton State

OSWEGO, N.Y. — Matt Moore scored with less than three minutes left to give the Lawrence University hockey team a 2-1 nonconference victory over Castleton State College on Sunday at the Pathfinder Bank Oswego State Classic.

Lawrence (5-7-0) advances to the championship game against No. 2 Oswego State on Monday at 4 p.m. Eastern time. Oswego defeated Plymouth State University 6-2 on Sunday in the other tournament game.

Moore broke a 1-1 tie with his third goal of the season with 2:56 left in regulation. Brandon Boelter and Huck Saunders picked up assists on the goal.

Castleton State (6-5-1), members of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference from Castleton, Vt., was whistled for a roughing penalty just 35 seconds later. That didn’t stop the Spartans from pulling goaltender Erick Cinotti for the final 37 seconds of the game.

Castleton State couldn’t get the equalizer against Lawrence freshman goaltender Fabian Sivnert, who stopped 29 shots in his Lawrence debut. Cinotti made 20 saves and took the loss.

Lawrence got on the board just 7:12 into the first period when Gustav Lindgren scored an unassisted goal. The score stayed that way until Josh Harris scored 2:13 into the third period to tie the game at 1-1.

Box score

Lawrence at Oswego Classic preview

The Lawrence University hockey team travels to the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate New York for the Oswego State Classic on Dec. 30-31. The Vikings face Castleton State at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Dec. 30. No. 2 Oswego takes on Plymouth State in the other Dec. 30 game. Lawrence will play either Plymouth State at 1 p.m. or Oswego State at 4 p.m. on Dec. 31.

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Inside LU Athletics: Vikings look to build on first-half experiences

You can look at the first half of the Lawrence University hockey season and think of it as a glass half-full or a glass half-empty scenario.

Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski is taking the optimistic route.

A 4-7 record is not the kind of start Lawrence had hoped for but factor in that five of those seven setbacks were by one goal, and the Vikings have reason for optimism.

“At this level, details matter and our league has become so competitive that one mistake can, and has been, the difference on many nights this year,” Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “Losing these one-goal games is the sign of a very young team. However, we are halfway through the season now so being young is no excuse. We need our players to take the lessons learned in the first half and use that experience in the second half.”

Lawrence also has done something uncharacteristic this season and that is lose a third-period lead. Entering this season, Lawrence was 55-3-5 under Szkodzinski when leading after two periods. Lawrence has lost three games this season after taking a lead into the final period.

“This team has been resilient,” Szkodzinski said. “They have continued to battle for each other after some heartbreaking losses. It would be very easy to question each other, the coaches, or even themselves as individuals.  We have not seen that, which is a great sign. We believe we have great character people and being close can challenge one’s character.  So far, these young men are staying the course, and we are very proud of that fact.”

The Vikings have a few weeks off before coming back after Christmas to play in the Pathfinder Bank Classic at the State University of New York-Oswego on Dec. 30-31. Lawrence faces Castleton State College on Dec. 30 and then faces either No. 2-ranked Oswego or Plymouth State University on Dec. 31.

“We are simply focused on the next game and that is Castleton,” Szkodzinski said. “With young players, we need to make sure we are keeping everything in perspective and not looking too far ahead. We need to think about the next shift, the next period, and keep things simple.”

Several of the Vikings’ first-year players have had a big impact, and with seven seniors lost to graduation from last year’s team, Lawrence needed an influx of new talent.

“As a group, our freshmen have been excellent,” Szkodzinski said. “Logan Lemirande, Rudi Pino, Renato Engler, Matt Moore and Ryan Rumble have all made significant contributions up front. Brandon Boelter has stepped up on and off the ice while Steve Hughes has been one of the most competitive guys for us night in and night out.”

Lawrence has three of the top four freshman scorers in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. Lemirande is second at 1.60 points per game, Pino is third at 1.18 and Boelter is fourth at 1.09.

Lemirande leads the league at 1.30 assists per game, ranks second at 1.60 points per game and is fifth at 0.60 power-play points per game. Boelter is the top scoring defenseman in the league at 1.09 points per game and he ranks first in the conference at 0.64 power-play points per game.

“It will be interesting to see how they take the experience they have gained over the first 11 games into the last 14,” Szkodzinski said.

While the record hasn’t been ideal, it’s the least of Szkodzinski’s worries.

“Our record is not our focus, it never has been,” Szkodzinski said. “Our focus is getting better every time we step on the ice. Our goals haven’t changed. We have gone through some tough lessons during this stretch. If we can stick to the plan and get better every single day then we will be in the hunt come late February.”

Early-season showdown

The Lawrence men’s basketball team (4-3, 3-2 MWC) faces a big early test when St. Norbert College comes to Alexander Gymnasium on Saturday. The Green Knights have won two of the last three Midwest Conference championships. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

Doubling up

After posting four double-doubles in her first two seasons, junior guard Alex Deshler has four double-doubles already this season. Deshler is averaging 14.1 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game. She ranks fifth in the conference in scoring and seventh in rebounding.

 

Gusties hang on for 4-3 win over Lawrence

ST. PETER, Minn. — The Gustavus Adolphus College hockey team held on for a 4-3 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Friday night at Don Roberts Rink.

Gustavus (7-5-1)  led 2-0 after the first period, but Lawrence (4-7-0) battled back in the second. Renato Engler scored for the Vikings at the 11:00 mark to cut the lead to 2-1.

The Gusties then got power-play goals from Adam Smyth and Tyler Lapic to push out to a 4-1 advantage. Gustavus went 3-for-5 on the power play. Smyth finished with a hat trick for the Gusties.

Lawrence trimmed the lead back to 4-2 on Brad Scurfield’s ninth goal of the season with just two seconds left in the second period. Lawrence’s Phil Bushbacher slashed the margin to 4-3 with his goal at the 8:38 mark of the third, but that’s as close as the Vikings would get.

Tyler Venne made 13 saves to get the win for Gustavus. Peter Emery got the start and made 19 saves for Lawrence before being relieved by Michael Baldino late in the second period. Baldino finished with eight saves.

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Lemirande named MCHA Player of the Week

Lawrence University standout Logan Lemirande has been named the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Week.

Lemirande (Janesville, Wis.) led the Vikings to a sweep of conference rival Finlandia University this past weekend. Lemirande had two goals and five assists as Lawrence won 6-3 last Friday and 5-2 on Saturday.

The freshman forward scored a goal and picked up four assists in the victory on Friday. The four assists ties the second-highest game total in Lawrence history. Lemirande then picked up the first short-handed goal of his career and added an assist in the win on Saturday.

Lemirande was involved in eight of Lawrence’s 11 goals during the two-game series and assisted on the game-winning goal in both games. Lemirande was plus-5 on the weekend.

Lemirande leads the Vikings with 15 points and has a team-high 12 assists to go with three goals. Lemirande is first in the MCHA at 1.33 assists per game and ranks second in the league in points per game (1.67), power play points per game (0.67) and freshman scoring (1.67).

The Vikings (4-6-0) return to action on Friday when they travel to Gustavus Adolphus College for a nonconference game.

Big third period pushes Vikings past Finlandia

The Lawrence University hockey team scored three times in the first 9:39 of the third period and went on to a 5-2 Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association victory over Finlandia University on Saturday at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Five different players scored for Lawrence (4-6-0, 4-4-0 MCHA), and Erik Soderlund and Paul Zuke had two assists apiece for the Vikings. Lawrence also scored two short-handed goals, and the Vikings now have five short-handers on the season.

Lawrence led 2-1 entering the third period, and the Vikings quickly pulled away. Phil Bushbacher scored off passes from Logan Lemirande and Zuke just 2:22 into the period for a 3-1 lead. Rudi Pino then scored at the 5:54 mark off passes from Brandon Boelter and Soderlund for a 4-1 edge.

After Soderlund got whistled for roughing at 8:12, the Lions (3-6-0, 3-5-0) went on the power play but it was Lawrence that cashed in. Brad Scurfield scored an unassisted short-handed goal at 9:39 for a 5-1 Lawrence lead.

Mike Montrose scored on the power play for Finlandia at the 14:20 mark to cut the lead to 5-2, but that’s as close as the Lions would get.

Lawrence jumped on Finlandia early with Huck Saunders scoring for the Vikings just 6:31 into the first period. Lemirande got the first short-handed goal of his career when scored at the 8:07 mark of the first to put the Vikings up 2-0. Justin Scott scored for Finlandia with just 1:32 left in the second period to trim the margin to 2-1.

Peter Emery made 28 saves to pick up the victory for Lawrence. Troy Chandler stopped 36 shots and took the loss.

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Second-period turnaround leads Vikings past Finlandia

The Lawrence University hockey team turned the tables on Finlandia University late in the second period and went on to a 6-3 Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association victory over the Lions on Friday night at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Lawrence (3-6-0, 3-4-0 MCHA) trailed 3-2 and was skating two men down due to penalties, but the Vikings killed off the two-man advantage and then scored a pair of goals just moments later to seize the momentum. Lawrence then scored twice in the third period to seal the victory.

The Vikings led 2-1 early in the second period thanks to goals from Brad Scurfield and Phil Bushbacher, but Finlandia (3-5-0, 3-4-0) scored two goals in a 56-second span midway through the period to grab a 3-2 edge.

Lawrence then took a pair of penalties that left the Lions with a two-man advantage for 1:39. The Vikings killed off the two-man advantage and were still down a skater when Finlandia’s Kevin Smith was whistled for a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

With the teams now both skating a man down, Scurfield scored off a face-off at the 13:15 mark to tie the game at 3-3. Just 24 seconds later with Lawrence on the power play, Brandon Boelter’s slapshot found the back of the net and the Vikings led 4-3.

Buschbacher then scored 4:08 into the third to put Lawrence up 5-3, and Logan Lemirande added a goal with just 1:41 left to seal the win.

Bushbacher and Scurfield both had a pair of goals, and Lemirande had four assists to go with his goal.

Michael Baldino made 19 saves to pick up the win. Troy Chandler stopped 42 shots for Finlandia and took the loss.

Box score

 

Early deficit too much to overcome against St. Norbert

DE PERE, Wis. — For the second night in a row, the Lawrence University hockey team fell behind early and lost at the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association/Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Thanksgiving Classic at the Cornerstone Community Center.

Sixth-ranked St. Norbert College jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and went on a 6-3 nonconference win over the Vikings (2-6-0) on Saturday.

The Green Knights (8-2-1) scored three times in the first 9:52 before freshman defenseman Steve Hughes got his first career goal for the Vikings at the 11:10 mark to trim the lead to 3-1.

Carl Eckstrom then scored on the power play for St. Norbert, and the Green Knights led 4-1 after the opening period. St. Norbert converted 3 of 6 chances on the power play while Lawrence was 0-for-3.

Kyle Stroh pushed the St. Norbert lead to 5-1 with a goal in the second, but Lawrence battled back late in the third. Renato Engler and Derek Brickan scored just 46 seconds apart to cut the lead to 5-3 with 4:10 left.

Stroh then sealed the win and completed a hat trick with a power-play goal for St. Norbert with 3:27 left.

Travis Bosch made 24 saves to pick up the win, and Anton Olsson stopped 31 shots and took the loss.

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