Lawrence’s men’s and women’s ice hockey teams went stick-to-stick with the Marian University Sabres last Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 over the course of four thrilling matches.
The first games of the series were played at the Blue Line Ice Center in Fond du Lac. The women’s team played first, dropping a 0-4 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association decision to the Sabres. The game was in a scoreless stalemate until the second period, when Marian slipped past the Vikings’ defense to grab their first goal. They cemented their victory with two empty-net goals in the last period.
However, the Vikings would make a comeback the following day back on home turf with a 4-0 NCHA victory over the Sabres for their regular-season finale. With renewed fervor from their fresh loss, they had an impressive start by scoring within the first five minutes of the game. Senior Delaney Kingsland grabbed an empty-net goal with just 2:23 remaining, sealing Lawrence’s victory. Other standout players included sophomores Elsie Salerno and Emma Perry, first-year Evelyn Pryadkin and senior Lauren Moravchik. Goalies Sydney Seeley, a senior, and Sarah Dobrzynski, a first-year, stopped 55 Marian shots over the course of the two games, with Dobrzynski achieving her second shutout of the season on Saturday.
The men’s team’s series opened on Friday following the women’s loss, with a nail-biting third period decision. After a tense first period, Marian managed to score late in the second to seize the lead. Lawrence’s Cody Brekke, a first-year, tied the score 1-1 six minutes into the final period. After several killed-off penalties, senior Jack Michels scored with just 1:11 remaining in the game to secure a Viking victory.
Unfortunately, this momentum didn’t last going into Saturday’s game at the Appleton Family Ice Center, as the Sabres racked up three goals within the first four minutes of play. The Vikings rallied early in the second period and had the score up to 4-3 by halfway through the third period. Senior Hugh Anderson picked up his first goal of the season with just under three minutes of play left to tie up the score 4-4. Neither team was able to score in overtime. Standout players included senior Cory Checco and first-years Miles McCue, Carter Cloutier and Adam Brzezicki, with goalies Noah Mahaffey, a first-year, and Owen Carlson, a sophomore, making 64 saves throughout the series.
This Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17 mark the start of the Slaats Cup and Harris Cup NCHA Playoffs. Women’s ice hockey will face off against Adrian College at the Arrington Ice Arena in Adrian, Mich., while the men’s team will play Trine University at the Thunder Ice Arena in Angola, Ind. Livestream links for the games can be found on the Lawrence Athletics website.