MADELINE RAINERI | Reporter
The Lindenwood Lions ACHA Division I men’s ice hockey team swept its first homestand this weekend against the Davenport University Panthers at the Wentzville Ice Arena in Wentzville, Missouri.
Saturday’s game began with a point for Lindenwood six minutes into the first period by sophomore defenseman Aapo Nurminen, with an assist by Austin Wilk, according to the ACHA’s official box score. The early goal was unanswered by Davenport, and a second goal was scored less than a minute later by junior forward Alex Kalau with assists by Alexander Carlsson and Tommy Heinzman. Davenport found the net 10 minutes into the first period on a power play and scored its first and only goal of the game.
With the score at 2-1 in the first period, Lindenwood netted two more goals in the before the period’s end. Junior forward Hayden Dawes scored one goal with assists by Michael Lozano and Graham Zagrodney. At 15:56 in the first, senior forward Michael Lozano then scored his own goal with help from Wilk and Nurminen.
Lindenwood entered the second period of its first home game with a 4-1 score and saw three more goals from Dawes, Matt Runyon and again from Nurminen. Runyon’s even-strength goal with an assist from sophomore forward Jordan Klimovsky was his first collegiate goal.
Davenport and Lindenwood went on to the third period with the score at 7-1. After no goals from either side in the third, Lindenwood seized its first home victory, and even with the uneven score, Davenport had 26 shots on goal, only 11 fewer than Lindenwood’s 37 shots on goal.
The two teams met again on Sunday, Oct. 1 for a 2 p.m. puck drop at the Wentzville Ice Arena. Davenport commenced the scoring with an early goal at 1:12 in the first period. Lindenwood did not put its own point up on the board until 16:02 in the first period with a goal by sophomore forward Victor Lombardi assisted by Mitchell Riese.
Minutes later, Lindenwood found the back of the net yet again with a goal by Carlsson and an assist by Nick Greene and Heinzman.
The second period started with a 2-1 score, but Davenport ultimately tied the score at 2-2 with an unassisted goal.
In the third period, freshman recruit and defenseman Hunter Ruschmeyer scored his first collegiate goal, assisted by Runyon to pull Lindenwood up for a 3-2 lead eight minutes into the period.
At 19:59 in the third period, an unassisted goal by Jake Townsend secured a 4-2 win for the Lindenwood Lions.
Lindenwood concluded its first two home games with a total of 11 goals between the two games and a 4-0 start to its 2017-2018 season.
Lions men’s hockey will go back on the road for two games against the No. 1 seed University of Central Oklahoma next Friday and Saturday at the Arctic Edge in Edmond, Oklahoma. Puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.
