recap

ADRIAN, Mich. — Lawrence University came close again against No. 6 Adrian College, but the Bulldogs held on for a 2-1 victory in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup semifinals on Saturday at Arrington Arena.

This marks the third time in three meetings this season that Adrian (20-5-1) posted a one-goal win over the Vikings (13-11-4).

Adrian scored both of its goals in a two-minute span in the first period.

After Huck Saunders got sent off for cross-checking at the 12:48 mark, Adrian’s Shelby Gray scored just nine seconds later on the power play for a 1-0 lead. Adrian finished 1-for-4 on the power play.

Zach Graham then made it 2-0 just 2:03 later on an even-strength goal for the Bulldogs.

Lawrence battled back midway through the second period. After Josh Ranalli was whistled for a five-minute charging penalty at 6:47, the Vikings cashed in. Brad Scurfield scored a power-play goal off assists from Jameson Raymond and Matt Hughes at the 10:28 mark. Lawrence went 1-for-5 on the power play.

The Vikings then dominated play in the third period but could not get the equalizier. Lawrence outshot the Bulldogs 13-2 in the third period and enjoyed a 36-24 edge in shots for the game. Adrian didn’t get a shot on net in the final 17 minutes of the game.

Lawrence had one power-play chance in the third period when Ranalli got a two-minute charging penalty at the 10:53 mark. The Vikings got four shots on net during the power play but couldn’t get one past goaltender Scott Shackell.

Shackell stopped 35 shots in the victory.

The Vikings pulled goaltender Peter Emery with 1:14 remaining but couldn’t get a shot on goal. Emery stopped 22 shots for the Vikings.

Adrian faces either MSOE or Marian University in the Harris Cup championship game on Sunday.

Box score

Is this case, a tie was just as good as a win.

Lawrence University forged a hard-fought 2-2 overtime tie on Saturday with Finlandia University, and that was enough to allow the Vikings to win this weekend’s Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinal playoff series at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Lawrence (13-10-4) beat Finlandia (7-18-1) 5-1 on Friday night and won the series with a 1-0-1 record. Lawrence advances to the Harris Cup semifinals next Saturday, March 3, at Adrian College.

The Vikings had to rally from a pair of deficits to earn the tie.

Alex Heinonen gave Finlandia a 1-0 lead just 3:23 into the game. Lawrence then tied the game at 1-1 on Matt Hughes’ goal at the 12:33 mark of the first.

Finlandia’s Clancy MacNeil got sent off for holding at 15:40 of the first, but it was Finlandia that took advantage. Dmitry Antipin scored a short-handed goal at 16:06 to give the Lions a 2-1 edge.

The score stayed that way until the 7:34 mark of the second period. Phil Bushbacher took a faceoff for Lawrence to the right of Finlandia goalkeeper Mike Wuthrich. The draw went toward the net, and Bushbacher battled to the puck and beat Wuthrich to tie the game at 2-2.

Finlandia thought it had tied the game late in the third period, but a Lions skater had kicked the puck into the net with his skate and the goal was waived off by the referee.

The Lions had a great chance in the final minute when a shot was redirected in front of the net by Travis Armstrong, but Lawrence goaltender Peter Emery made a spectacular save with 21 seconds left to preserve the tie.

Both teams had five shots in the overtime, and Lawrence did a nice job of keeping the puck in the Finlandia zone late. The Lions were looking to pull Wuthrich to get the game-winning goal because Finlandia needed a win to force a decisive mini-game to determine who would win the series. Lawrence kept the puck in the Finlandia zone in the final minute and ran out the clock.

Emery made 30 saves for the Vikings, and Wuthrich stopped 48 shots for Finlandia.

Box score

Lawrence University scored four times in the second period and rolled to a 5-1 victory over Finlandia University in Friday’s opening game of a Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinal playoff series at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Lawrence (13-10-3) needs a win or tie in Saturday’s series finale to advance to the Harris Cup semifinals.

The Vikings were already up 1-0 thanks for Brad Scurfield’s first-period goal when they scored four times in a stretch of 11 minutes in the second period.

Patrick Coyne got things started for the Vikings when he scored on the power play at the 6:28 mark to give Lawrence a 2-0 edge. Lawrence went 1-for-4 on the power play on the evening. 

Phil Bushbacher made it 3-0 at the 9:56 mark, and the Vikings scored again on Huck Saunders’ goal just 25 seconds later to make it 4-0.

Coyne, a freshman forward, scored again at the 17:53 mark to give Lawrence a 5-0 lead. It was the first multi-goal game of Coyne’s career.

Alex Heinonen broke up the shutout for Finlandia (7-18-0) when he scored on the power play with just 17 seconds left in the second period to trim the lead to 5-1.

Peter Emery stopped 28 shots to earn the win for Lawrence. Cedrik LaFrance made the start and allowed four goals for Finlandia in taking the loss.

Box score