From Lindenwood Athletics
Men’s ACHA Division II ice hockey completed a series sweep with a 2-1 victory over the University of Saint Thomas Saturday night at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The Lions defeated the Tommies 7-2 in the opener on Friday.
In an evenly played finale, Lindenwood took a 1-0 lead when Stanley Lucas scored on a play set up by Steve Avalone and Michael Mullen at 18:57 of the first, but Saint Thomas answered quickly just 44-seconds later and it was 1-1 heading to the second.
Anthony Tinsley sounded the horn at the 7:19 mark of the middle frame, assisted by Logan Millhausen and Avalone. The goal gave the Lions a 2-1 lead, one that they would hold for the remainder of the game, even with the Tommies pulling their goaltender in the final 57-seconds for an extra attacker.
Lindenwood outshot Saint Thomas 38-30 and Ethan Paulin-Hatch stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced to earn the win in goal. Both teams went scoreless on two power play opportunities.
Fans saw several more goals in the contest on Friday with the Lions taking control midway through the second period.
Stanley Lucas opened scoring for Lindenwood at 4:19 of the first with help from Brett Robinson and Praveen Dhaliwal. The Tommies tied the game at 6:40 of the second, but the Lions lit the lamp six straight times unanswered to pull away. The first of those goals came on a power play when Lucas hit the back of the net at 7:23, assisted by Avalone and Gage Vierzba. Tinsley was next to score at even strength on a play set up by Brett Robinson and Mason Kruger at 11:55 and Lindenwood led 3-1.
It was an offensive barrage for the Lions in the third as they outshot Saint Thomas 23-6 and added four goals. Zac Maupin netted the first at 5:56, assisted by Nolan Kahl and Robinson, then Austin Meers split the pipes with help from Maupin and Vierzba at 8:37. Sean McMahon scored his seventh goal of the season at 10:03, assisted by Lucas and Avalone, then Mullen added his 10th of the season at 12:20, assisted by Robinson and Kruger.
A late cross-checking penalty gave the Tommies a power play with just under two minutes remaining in the game and they took advantage at the 19:47 mark for their second goal.
Lindenwood outshot Saint Thomas 48-28 and Paulin-Hatch stopped 26 of the 28 pucks he faced for the victory. The Lions scored once on four power plays while yielding a single goal on five man-advantage chances for the Tommies.
With the two wins, Lindenwood wrapped up its 2023 campaign and improved to 18-5 on the season. The Lions will return to the ice in 2024 for a two-game set against Montana State University January 5-6. The puck drops at 8:55 p.m. that Friday night and at 8:35 that Saturday night at the Centene Community Ice Center.
(Originally published at https://lindenwoodlions.com/news/2023/12/11/mens-ice-hockey-acha-dii-mens-acha-d2-hockey-sweeps-saint-thomas.aspx)
