The Lawrence University Hockey Team skated into their second week of competition with hopes to continue the success of their opening series sweep against Concordia University, but the team was thwarted in its attempts against Marian University (2-2, 2-2 NCHA).
On Friday, Nov. 7, the Vikings traveled to Fond du Lac to face the Sabres at the Blue Line Ice Center. A scoreless first period was the result of firm Viking defense, as Marian outshot Lawrence 16-5. Despite being offensively outshined, the Vikings put the first points on the board 7:53 into the second.
Senior Gustav Lindgren knocked in a rebound after a faceoff in the Marian zone off assists from juniors Brandon Boelter and Steve Hughes. One of the Sabres’ many offensive attempts finally found its mark with 1:33 remaining in the second period to tie it at 1-1.
The Vikings kicked it into gear in the third period, outshooting the Sabres 13-9 in an attempt to take back the lead. Unfortunately, it was Marian that was able to wrestle in one more goal before the buzzer, bringing the final score to a narrow 2-1.
The Vikings had a chance for redemption at the Appleton Family Ice Center on Saturday, Nov. 8. It was a very fast-paced game from the start, and Lawrence again seized an early lead when senior Patrick Coyne introduced the puck to the net less than three minutes into the first period. Freshman Jake Kreutzer and senior Kevin Killian were credited with assists. The Sabres retaliated quickly, capitalizing on a power play opportunity at 9:11 to even up the score.
The second period was where the Vikings slipped up, allowing three goals and a 4-1 Marian lead before the second intermission. The aggression between the two teams manifested itself very physically in the third period; a brawl by the Marian bench halfway through the period resulted in a major penalty and a game ejection for a player on each team, among other penalties.
Lawrence got a power play advantage that yielded a return at 12:10, when freshman Austin Frank scored his first collegiate goal off assists from sophomore Blake Roubos and freshman Brad Mueller. This cut the Marian lead to 4-2. However, the Sabres responded with a goal of their own before the end to claim a sound 5-2 victory.
This pair of losses brings the Vikings’ record to 2-2 (2-2 NCHA) as they move forward to the upcoming series against Northland College (1-3, 1-3 NCHA). Competition will remain at home both Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15. The puck drops at the Appleton Family Ice Center at 7 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday.