From IU Hockey Media
By Sam Weixler
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- In the rubber match between the two non-conference opponents, the Cream and Crimson lit the lamp 12 times to snuff out the flames fanned by the Gateway City gang the previous night. After a 6-5 overtime loss, Indiana finished out the fall semester in peak form with a 12-3 win.
Indiana (11-6-0, 7-3-0 TSCHL) dispatched of the traveling Saint Louis University (6-13-0, 5-9-0 MACHL) on Saturday thanks to a plethora of scoring from its top performers.
The game was marked by close-quarters combat thanks to the Frank Southern Ice Arena’s infamously small playing surface (20 feet too short and four feet shy of regulation size in width). Saint Louis, led by head coach Sean Fitzpatrick, out-hit Indiana 44-34, and plenty of penalties were called on both squads.
In the first frame, the Bloomington boys put up a crooked number via Jack O’Flaherty and Drew Micheli goals- both of which were assisted by Aiden Goodfellow.
The Billikens managed to keep it close, however, as SLU’s Jeffrey Au threw in a short-handed score of his own from Charlie West.
During the middle period, the game descended into chaos and intermittent donnybrooks throughout. Both clubs played with an edge and an attitude due to a matching-minors incident between Indiana’s Matt McKay and Aidan Penberthy of Saint Louis. Order was then restored for the time being.
Not long before the conclusion of the second period, SLU junior winger Brad Terjelian was ejected for fighting after he dropped his left glove during a scrum trying to bait an IU player into fisticuffs.
Indiana then turned up the heat with four scores in 12 minutes to close out the segment. Will Gerami increased his season total to 10 goals, as he netted two back-to-back short-hand tallies just five minutes apart.
Vlad Khrushch and Matt McKay jumped in on the action as well, shutting down any SLU recovery efforts. The Billikens put two pucks past Ben Zarembski, the junior netminder for Indiana, and the period ended 6-3.
During the final 20 minutes of action, the Cream and Crimson left no doubt in anyone’s mind, as they tacked on an additional six goals in the third period alone.
Kissell, DeLorenzo, Null, and Macdonald each put power play goals in, and Gerami pushed the puck around in the attacking third of the ice to earn three apples in four minutes of gameplay. The four consecutive PPGs by IU marks the longest such stretch this year.
O’Flaherty book-ended the scoresheet and notched a hat-trick as well. His weekend ended with five total points (4G / 1A).
In a return to form, Indiana freshman skater Tommy Macdonald managed to get ejected from his second straight game after receiving another game misconduct penalty. He chalked up a total of 44 penalty minutes over the weekend, including two separate “5 & 10’s” on Friday night prior to his first dismissal from the ice.
On the bright side, his contributions in the offensive zone came prior to his now frequent misadventures, as he racked up two goals in the two contests.
The SOG tally mightily favored the home side, as Indiana scored their dozen on 58 shots, whereas SLU failed to overwhelm Zarembski with just 17 SOG. Saint Louis decided not to pull their goaltender Keegan Hegger despite the lopsided score, who ended the game with 46 saves.
The complete game win for “Big Z” is his second victory this season in three appearances, and was a solid replacement in net for the injured Sammy Bilis.
The Cream and Crimson special teams flourished all afternoon, going 5/6 on the power play and 3/4 on the kill.
The Indiana boys are on the lam from referees and scoresheets for the next month, not returning to action until January 21st and 22nd up in Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines. The next home game for IU is scheduled for January 29th against the reeling Dayton Flyers.
(Originally published at https://hockeyiu.com/articles/iu-offense-roars-back-to-life-with-a-dozen-goals-in-drubbing-of-saint-louis-123-12421-kwv7z4zo)
