The Lawrence University men’s
hockey team has started its season
3-0 for the second time in school
history after a win against UW-Eau
Claire and a weekend sweep of
Concordia University.
The team is also receiving
national attention for the first time
in the school’s history. The Vikings
received five points in the most
recent national poll, which placed
them in the poll’s “others receiving
votes” section in 21st place overall.
All-American goaltender Evan
Johnson likes the way the team is
playing, but he would prefer that the
Vikings stay away from the hype of
being in the national spotlight. “We
still have a long way to go. Don’t get
me wrong, it’s nice to be recognized
across the country, but it’s more
important that we have started the
season undefeated.”
In the season opener, the Vikings
erased two UW-Eau Claire leads to
win the game on the road.
The first Lawrence goal came
near the end of the first period with
the Vikings trailing 1-0. Ben DiMarco
notched the goal for the Vikings with
Gustav Ahlberg and Corey Garrett
assisting him on the score. UW-Eau
Claire would regain the lead with a
goal early in the second period, but
from that point on, Evan Johnson’s
goaltending appeared in midseason
form.
Evan Johnson held the Blugolds
to those two goals as Brad Scurfield
and Senior Marc Howe scored to
put the Vikings ahead for good.
Sophomore forward Sam Johnson
assisted on both of the goals, with
Josh DeSmit and Mike Ackley each
adding an assist on one of the goals.
Following their tough season
opener, the Vikings opened up conference
play with a home-and-home
series against Concordia University.
Lawrence opened up the series with
a huge 8-1 victory highlighted by
DiMarco’s first career hat trick and
Jameson Raymond’s four assists.
The following evening, the
Vikings completed the sweep with a
4-2 victory. Howe broke the Lawrence
record for career goals with his score
in the first period.
The pair of easy conference victories
bodes well for the remainder
of the season, as the Vikings were
able to rest some of their key players.
Lawrence will hit the ice again
this weekend with games against
Lake Forest and nationally ranked
UW-Superior.
Men’s hockey off to a fast start
