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Vikings edge Northland in MCHA playoff opener

Josh DeSmit’s second-period goal proved to be the difference as Lawrence University edged Northland College 2-1 in the opening game of a Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinal playoff series Friday night at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Lawrence (13-12-1) needs a win or a tie on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the series. The series winner advances to the Harris Cup Four semifinals on March 5 at Adrian College.

Lawrence grabbed the lead just 1:01 into the game when Jon Bellotti took a pass from Jameson Raymond and beat goaltender Daniel McIntosh for a 1-0 advantage.

Northland (9-15-2) tied the game on the power play at the 6:44 mark of the first. After Brad Scurfield was whistled for slashing, Colin Moberly scored on the ensuing man-advantage to make it 1-1.

DeSmit gave Lawrence the lead at the 11:10 mark of the second. Brady Vandenberk was called for interference at 10:45 to give Lawrence a power play, and DeSmit scored just 25 seconds later off a pass from Raymond.

Lawrence went 1-for-5 on the power play and Northland was 1-for-4.

Both Lawrence and Northland were forced to kill off a penalty in the final period, and the Lumberjacks pulled McIntosh for the final 1:02 but couldn’t get the equalizer.

Evan Johnson made 23 saves for the Vikings to pick up the victory. McIntosh made 39 saves and took the loss. 

Box score

Inside LU Athletics: Lawrence skaters prepare for playoffs

Mike Szkodzinski knows great things are possible.

The Lawrence University hockey coach has seen him team post some impressive wins during the campaign. As Szkodzinski prepares his team for the opening of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs this weekend, he knows the Vikings can’t just show up and expect to win.

“We have a team that is capable of achieving some special things, but we’re also a team that needs to bring it’s A game the rest of the way in order to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves,” Szkodzinski said.

Lawrence hosts a MCHA quarterfinal playoff series with Northland College on Friday night and Saturday afternoon at the Appleton Family Ice Center. The winner advances to the Harris Cup Four at Adrian College on March 5-6.

The Vikings need to play well to defeat Northland, which has put together its best season in school history with a 9-14-2 record. Lawrence has beaten Northland in three of four meetings this year, but the Lumberjacks are coming off a weekend split against highly regarded Marian University.

“We’re going up against one of the hottest teams in the league,” Szkodzinski said.

The Vikings (12-12-1) wrapped up the regular season with a split against Finlandia University last weekend and clinched home ice with a win in the series opener. Finlandia, which scored 11 goals in the two games, then defeated Lawrence in the series finale.

“One of the staples of our program has been solid team defense, and that was definitely not the case against Finlandia. We were really disappointed with the way we treated the final game as if it didn’t matter,” Szkodzinski said.

“It’s nearly impossible to turn a switch on an off so we has coaches need to pay attention to every little detail. Attention to detail is the most important thing at the moment.”

On the flip side, Lawrence’s offense scored 10 goals last weekend. The Vikings also converted four of their nine power-play chances against Finlandia, and special teams loom as a key in the playoffs.

“We put up 10 goals this weekend and only one player had more than one. Scoring by committee was a goal this season so hopefully that’s a good omen heading into the playoffs,” Szkodzinski said.

“(Power play and penalty kill) are two things that can make or break a game at this time of the year. Everybody knows everybody so special teams are going to be a focus of the coaches.”

The Vikings also get sophomore forward Brad Scurfield, one of the team’s top scorers, back. Scurfield hasn’t played since being injured against MSOE back on Jan. 28.

“We’ve had some key injures over the past three months, and it looks like we’re going to be a little healthier going into Friday night,” Szkodzinski said.

Another key the Vikings bring to this weekend is playoff success. Lawrence has reached the Harris Cup Four semifinals in three of the past four seasons so this group of seniors understands what it takes to win in the postseason.

“At this time of the year, we always seem to see special play from our upperclassmen,” said Szkodzinski, citing seniors Evan Johnson, Jon Sheridan, Corey Garrett and Josh DeSmit. “Those guys are ready to leave a lasting impression on this program.”

Track headed to MWC meet

The Lawrence track team is headed to the Midwest Conference Championships this weekend at Grinnell College.

The Vikings are looking to improve on last year’s eighth-place finishes, and Lawrence sends an improved team on the men’s side. The Vikings have the defending men’s champion in the mile in sophomore Sam Stevens, who also placed fourth in the 800 meters a season ago.

The women’s team was dealt a huge blow this week when Rose Tepper, a NCAA Division III Championships qualifier in the high jump, was injured in practice. She will not compete this weekend but hopes to return for the NCAA meet on March 12.

Kerkman set throw record

Lawrence track standout Nick Kerkman was named the Midwest Conference Field Performer of the Week after breaking a school record.

Kerkman (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) set the Lawrence record in the 35-pound weight throw at the UW-Stevens Point Eastbay Invitational this past Saturday. Kerkman recorded a throw of 48 feet, 8 inches, to break the record of 45-7.75, which was set by Mike Pierquet in 2008.

Kerkman now holds a pair of Lawrence track records. He set the mark in the hammer throw of 145-1 during the 2010 outdoor season.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly 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.

Record-setting throw earns Kerkman weekly track honor

Lawrence University standout Nick Kerkman has been named the Midwest Conference Field Performer of the Week after breaking a school record.

Kerkman (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) set the Lawrence record in the 35-pound weight throw at the UW-Stevens Point Eastbay Invitational this past Saturday. Kerkman recorded a throw of 48 feet, 8 inches, to break the record of 45-7.75, which was set by Mike Pierquet in 2008.

It was the first time in his career that Kerkman has won Performer of the Week honors. Kerkman now holds a pair of Lawrence track records. He set the mark in the hammer throw of 145-1 during the 2010 outdoor season.

The Vikings return to action this weekend when they travel to the Midwest Conference Championships at Grinnell College.

Lawrence men, women finish third at MWC Championships

GRINNELL, Iowa — The Lawrence University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished third at the Midwest Conference Championships, which wrapped up Sunday at Grinnell College.

Freshman Hannah Gabriel and junior Peter Brengel had the top finishes of the day for the Vikings.

Gabriel took second in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 18:17.76. She also teamed with Becca Hamlyn, Julia Heller and Chelsea Hameister on the 400 freestyle relay team, which placed third in 3:42.60.

Brengel broke the existing meet record in the 200 backstroke but that wasn’t good enough to defend his title in the event. Brengel took second in 1:53.54, and Grinnell’s Michael Brus won the title in 1:49.46.

Brengel teamed with Collin McCanna, Charlie Mann and Evan Flack to swim to third place in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:11.81.

The Lawrence women piled up 448 points, and Grinnell took the title with 894. Lawrence moved up four spots in the team standings from a season ago.

The Lawrence men had 484 points, and Grinnell won the title with 866. The Vikings moved up one spot from their fourth-place finish in 2010.

Sunday’s results

Gabriel takes title, sets record at MWC Championships

GRINNELL, Iowa – Lawrence University freshman Hannah Gabriel won the 200-yard freestyle on Saturday and set a meet record at the Midwest Conference Championships at Grinnell College.

Gabriel won the event in 1:56.89 to claim her first conference championship. She broke the record of former Lawrence star Hayley Vatch, who set the mark of 1:57.03 in 2009.

Gabriel also led the 800 freestyle relay team to second place in 8:05.12. She teamed with Sarah Bostrom, Chelsea Hameister and Julia Heller.

On the men’s side, Peter Brengel wasn’t able to defend his title in the 100 backstroke and finished third in 52.73 seconds. Brengel also teamed with Evan Flack, Tom Smith and Charlie Mann to finish third in the 200 medley relay in 1:36.18.

The Lawrence men and women are both in third place. The men have 340 points, and Grinnell leads with 570. The women have 309 points, and Grinnell is pacing the field with 658.

Saturday’s results

Lawrence rallies in final period to top Finlandia

Lawrence University rallied for three goals in the third period to top Finlandia University 7-5 in a Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association game Friday night at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

The win clinched home ice for Lawrence (12-11-1, 10-9-0 MCHA) for the quarterfinal series of the MCHA playoffs on Feb. 25-26.

The Vikings trailed 5-4 midway through the third period but put together a rally to win it. Defenseman Corey Garrett scored his first goal of the season after a scramble in front of the net to tie the game at 5-5 at the 10:11 mark.

Lawrence then took the lead for good when defenseman Jon Sheridan beat Finlandia goaltender Mike Wuthrich on the short side at the 16:29 mark for a 6-5 lead.

Sam Johnson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with just 36 seconds left.

Evan Johnson made 28 saves to pick up the victory. Wuthrich, who came on in relief of Ryan Donovan in the first period, made 30 saves and took the loss.

Lawrence, which was 3-for-4 on the power play, lost a pair of two-goal leads. Jon Bellotti, who had three points on the night, and Jameson Raymond both scored power-play goals in the opening period to give Lawrence a 2-0 edge.

Finlandia got a pair of goals from Cameron Goude to tie the score at 2-2 heading into the first intermission.

Josh DeSmit and Nate Scurfield scored just 47 seconds apart early in the second period to give the Vikings a 4-2 edge. Collin Saint-Onge then scored two power-play goals just 1:02 apart midway through the second period to tie the score at 4-4.

Kevin Smith then scored on the power play at the 5:53 mark of the third to put Finlandia up 5-4.

The teams wrap up the two-game series and the regular season on Saturday afternoon.

Box score

Lawrence to conduct national search for women’s basketball coach

Lawrence University is set to conduct a national search for a women’s basketball head coach, Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski announced today.

The Vikings have been directed during the 2010-11 season by interim head coach Dennis Nagan, who had served as an assistant with the Vikings for one season prior to this campaign.

“It is our goal to keep the women’s basketball program moving forward, and we believe that is best achieved by exploring all of our options when it comes to the person leading the program,” Szkodzinski said. “This next step is a natural progression in the efforts to sustain enduring success for Lawrence women’s basketball.”

The search will commence immediately with the goal of having a head coach in place as soon as possible, Szkodzinski said. Szkodzinski added Nagan will remain as the interim coach until a full-time head coach is selected.

“Coach Nagan has been nothing but professional in his responsibilities, and we’re thankful for the work he has done to this point,” Szkodzinski said.

“Lawrence University has the strong belief that intercollegiate athletics in an integral part of the education process,” Provost David Burrows said. “I believe the learning process is the most important part of any varsity athletic activity, but part of that experience is a sense of being competitive.”

Women’s basketball at Lawrence has enjoyed a history of success since its inception in 1975. Women’s basketball has won three conference championships, two in the Midwest Conference and another in the Lake Michigan Conference, and earned a NCAA Division III Tournament berth in 1999. The Vikings compiled 23 seasons with a record of .500 or better in their first 31 seasons of competition.

Lawrence has struggled to return to its winning ways in recent seasons. Since the retirement of head coach Amy Proctor following the 2006-07 season, Lawrence has endured four campaigns without a winning record.

Michelle Walsh coached the Vikings in the 2007-08 season, and she resigned in August 2008. Marc Heidorf then coached the Vikings for the next two seasons. Heidorf was dismissed in March 2010, and Nagan was named the interim head coach for the 2010-11 season.

Lawrence cross country one of top academic teams in country

The Lawrence University women’s cross country team is one of the top academic teams in the nation.

The Vikings were named a NCAA Division III All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Vikings had a 3.62 team grade point average, which ranks as the 10th-best team GPA in the nation. It is believed this is the highest a Lawrence team has ever placed nationally in terms of GPA. The 2001-02 Lawrence wrestling squad had the 11th-best team GPA in the nation.

“This is just another example of our student-athletes getting it done on the course and in the classroom,” Lawrence head coach Jason Fast said. “This is something that we preach every day, and they take that to heart.”

Lawrence team members are:  senior Anne Sullivan (Whitefish Bay, Wis.), juniors Emily Muhs (Janesville, Wis.) and Amelia Sancilio (Roseville, Minn.), sophomores Marty Allen (Weston, Mass.), Amanda Dwyer (Ralston, Neb.) and Mary Kate Smith (Charlottesville, Va.) and freshmen Alyssa Herman (Wadsworth, Ill.) and Anna Ratliff (Elmhurst, Ill.).

Lawrence was one of 167 teams, including four from the Midwest Conference, to be honored.

To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, the team must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.10 or better and have compiled a score (finished at least five runners) at its NCAA regional championship.