Maryland Heights, MO – The Lindenwood men’s hockey team delivers its first home sweep of the season. Winning over Grand Canyon University both Friday and Saturday night, outscoring the Lopes 17-2. With the weekend sweep, the Lions are 7-5-0 heading into this weekend’s games.
Friday: Four-Goal Third Period Pushes Lions to 7-2 Win.
Friday’s game started tight for the Lions, but they came out on top with a 7-2 win over Grand Canyon University. After entering the third period with a 3-2 lead, the Lions scored four unanswered goals to seal the Friday night win.
Lindenwood outshot GCU 66-15, including 25 shots on goal in the third period for the Lions. Special teams helped the Lions’ momentum as they went 2-for-5 on the power play and had a successful penalty kill performance.
Anselmo Rego opened the scoring midway through the first period, but GCU responded late to tie the game. Early in the second period, Ty Hipkin and Giovanni Morneau took control for the Lions, giving them the lead. The last goal from GCU kept the pressure on the game, making it 3-2 entering the third period.
Starting the third period, the pressure disappeared quickly. Rego scored his second of the night, while Drew Kuzma and Connor Gengle were making plays left and right, scoring three assists apiece. Jacob Fletcher and Brady Yakesh also contributed multi-assist performances on Friday Night.
Saturday: Houde’s Hat Trick helps seal a Saturday Night Shutout.
If you thought Friday night’s game was dominant, Saturday’s game was a statement.
The Lions had 61 shots on goal while GCU only had 9, controlling the game and dominating in offensive zone time with a 10-0 blowout. Six Lions scored in Saturday’s win, led by Olivier Houde, who recorded a hat trick in the first two periods.
Houde opened the scoring on a power play in the first period, but the Lions were only up 1-0 going into the second period. In the second period, the goals started flooding in. Houde is putting in his second and third of the night, followed by Hipkin and Rego to make it 5-0 heading into the third.
Starting strong in the third, the Lions wasted no time continuing to score more goals. Hipkin and Brady Yakesh scored just 36 seconds apart in the opening minute of the third period before Nolan Seed, Drew Kuzma, and Tyler Loughman followed with the last two goals coming in six seconds apart to end the third in a final score of 10-0.
The shutout showcased Lindenwood’s balanced dominance: executing offense paired with a wall of defense that stopped nearly every GCU attempt.
Up Next
The Lions return this weekend as they host Robert Morris at Centene Community Ice Center for a two-game series. Puck drop is set for Friday, November 21, at 7:10 p.m. and Saturday, November 22, at 6:10 p.m.
