The Lawrence University men’s basketball team hosts Grinnell College and Monmouth College this weekend. Lawrence faces Grinnell on Friday night and takes on Monmouth on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.
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Inside LU Athletics: Young Vikings breaking through on the ice
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.
Lawrence at Adrian series preview
The Lawrence University hockey team returns to Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association play when it travels to eighth-ranked Adrian College for games on Friday and Saturday.
Lawrence vs. Carroll preview
The Lawrence University men’s basketball team returns home to Alexander Gymnasium to face Carroll University in a Midwest Conference game on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Lawrence at Beloit preview
The Lawrence University men’s basketball team returns to Midwest Conference play on Saturday when it travels to Beloit College to face the Buccaneers. The tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
Vikings shoot down Auggies with overtime shutout
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Matt Hughes’ overtime goal lifted the Lawrence University hockey team to a 1-0 nonconference victory over Augsburg College on Saturday at Ed Saugestad Rink.
Hughes’ goal, his team-high ninth of the season, came 2:40 into the five-minute overtime off assists from Brad Scurfield and Erik Soderlund.
Lawrence (5-5-3) had been on the power play in the overtime period when Augsburg’s Ben McClellan got sent off for slashing at 1:48. The man-advantage lasted only 13 seconds when Paul Zuke was whistled for interference.
The Vikings kept up the pressure with a shot by Hughes blocked by a defenseman and a Soderlund saved by the goaltender. Hughes then regained control of the puck and beat Justin Lochner for the only goal of the game.
Lawrence freshman goaltender Peter Emery picked up the first shutout of his career by making 40 saves. Lochner stopped 30 shots for Augsburg (4-7-0).
This was Lawrence fourth overtime game of the season with the previous three all ending in ties. This was Lawrence’s first win in an overtime game since a 4-3 win over Finlandia University on Jan. 16, 2010. Lawrence is 2-1-5 in the eight overtime games dating back to the win over Finlandia.
Lawrence returns to action next weekend when it travels to the 2011 NCAA runner-up, Adrian College.
Koula earns All-North Region selection
Lawrence University women’s soccer star Mallory Koula has been named to the All-North Region Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Koula (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) was a third-team selection.
It’s yet another honor for Koula, who capped her Lawrence career by earning Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors. A three-time All-Midwest Conference selection, this is Koula’s first all-region honor.
Koula finished the season with 20 goals and five assists for 45 points. She set Lawrence career records with 63 goals and 142 points despite playing only three seasons with the Vikings.
Koula finished first in the Midwest Conference with 16 goals and 1.78 goals per game. She also was first in the league with four game-winning goals. Koula also led the league with 34 points and 3.78 points per game.
Koula broke the NCAA record for the fastest three consecutive goals by a player and a team. She scored three times in a span of only 42 seconds in Lawrence’s 6-1 victory over Beloit College. The individual record was 1:07 and the team mark was 52 seconds.
Koula led Lawrence to a berth in the Midwest Conference Tournament for the third consective season. Lawrence finished the 2011 season with a 7-11-1 record and a 5-3-1 mark in conference play.
Mann named to All-Wisconsin Team
Lawrence University men’s soccer standout Charlie Mann has been named to the All-Wisconsin Team.
Mann (Denver, Colo./Littleton), a sophomore defender, was a second-team selection. Mann also was a second-team All-Midwest Conference pick.
Mann finished the season with two goals, both game-winning tallies, and four points. Mann scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Grinnell College and picked up the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory over Knox College.
Mann also spearheaded a defense that allowed only 1.7 goals per game and posted a shutout against Ripon College.
Lawrence finished second in the Midwest Conference with a 6-2-1 mark, and the Vikings finished 7-10-1 overall.
Crisman leads charge as Vikings stop Monmouth
MONMOUTH, Ill. — Tyler Crisman poured in 29 points to lead the Lawrence University men’s basketball team to an 87-74 Midwest Conference victory at Glennie Gymnasium on Friday night.
Crisman was 10-for-14 from the floor, including 7-for-10 from 3-point range. The 29 points was a season high for Crisman and one point shy of his career high of 30, set at Beloit College on Feb. 12, 2011.
Chris Siebert added 19 points and a game-high five assists for the Vikings (3-4, 2-2 MWC). Conor Klusendorf chipped in with 15 points, and Davis DeWolfe had 10. Both Klusendorf and DeWolfe tied for game-high honors with six rebounds.
Kenny Foster paced Monmouth (1-5, 1-3) with 26 points.
Lawrence led by as many as nine points early in the first half, but Monmouth came back to take a 36-32 lead at the break. Lawrence regained the lead in the first 30 seconds of the second half courtesy of a Siebert 3-pointer and a Klusendorf dunk.
The Vikings slowly built their lead to as many as 12 points before the Scots rallied. Monmouth chipped away at the lead and cut it to 71-70 with 3:03 left.
Siebert answered with a jumper for the Vikings, and Klusendorf followed with a steal and dunk to give the Vikings 75-70 lead. After a miss by the Scots, Klusendorf got a layup to put Lawrence up 77-70 with 1:29 left.
Foster hit a jumper with 1:22 left to cut the lead back to 77-72, and Lawrence turned the ball on its next possession. That’s when the wheels fell off for Monmouth. The Scots were whistled for an offensive foul, and Foster picked up a technical foul.
Lawrence hit six consecutive free throws before Monmouth ever got the ball back to lead 83-72 and seal the victory.
Lawrence returns to action Monday when it travels to Florida to face Southeastern University.
Vikings earn first victory of season by downing Knox
The Lawrence University women’s basketball team picked up its first victory of the season with a stirring 81-77 Midwest Conference win over Knox College on Tuesday night at Alexander Gymnasium.
The victory snapped a 31-game winless streak for the Vikings. It was Lawrence’s first victory since an 88-68 victory at Silver Lake College on Feb. 15, 2010. It also marked Lawrence’s first Midwest Conference victory since a 62-53 victory over Knox on Jan. 19, 2008. Lawrence had gone 62 league games without a victory.
Lawrence (1-6, 1-2 MWC) got a double-double from guard Alex Deshler with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Chioma Ejimkonye paced the Vikings with 20 points and added eight rebounds. Cathy Kaye chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Kelly Ricketts paced Knox (1-7, 1-4) with 14 points and six rebounds. Krystyna Williams added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Prairie Fire.
Knox rallied in the second half and had its biggest lead of the game at 66-61 with 5:24 remaining. The Vikings battled back and took a 75-74 lead on a pair of Deshler free throws with 1:47 remaining.
Knox missed a pair of shots, and Deshler grabbed the rebound for the Vikings. Amber Lisowe then buried a 3-pointer from the left wing with 55 seconds left to give Lawrence a 78-74 lead.
After a pair of missed 3-pointers by Knox, an offensive foul gave Lawrence the ball back with 29 seconds left. Lisowe was fouled with 29 seconds left and made one free throw to give the Vikings a 79-74 lead.
Knox trimmed the lead to 79-77 when Ricketts hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining. Knox then committed an intentional foul, and Deshler made one free throw with 11 seconds left to put Lawrence up 80-77. Knox then fouled Ejimkonye with nine seconds left and she made one free throw to seal the victory.
Playing against Knox’s pressing, uptempo style, Lawrence shot 47.1 percent from the floor in the first half. The Vikings went 6-for-7 on 3-pointers in the first half to build a 42-27 lead at the break.
Knox opened the second half on a 12-3 run to trim the lead to 45-39 with 14:53 remaining. After Kaye hit a 3-pointer to give Lawrence a 52-45 lead, Knox scored the game’s next seven points to tie the game at 52-52 with 10:20 left. Knox built its lead to as many as five points before Lawrence rallied for the victory.
Lawrence hits the road to face Monmouth College on Friday.