MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MINN. — Junior forward Liam Malmquist and sophomore forward Lucas Wahlin set the tone early in a 4-2 victory over Lake Superior State Saturday night at St. Thomas Ice Arena and kept hope alive in a win-or-go-home scenario.
Second seed St. Thomas and seventh seed Lake Superior State split a two-game stint earlier in the season, a trend that will continue going into a decisive game three with the series tied one game apiece.
“I mean, you got to execute this time of the year … last night, their big boys executed. Tonight our big boys executed so we’ll see what happens tomorrow night,” coach Rico Blasi said.
Game two kept the same physical tone as game one, though this time around, St. Thomas’ Liam Malmquist opened by scoring early. Five minutes into the game, a breakaway for the Tommies resulted in Malmquist’s tenth goal of the season with an assist from Lucas Whalin and Matthew Gleason, both their eighteenth of the season.
“We played a lot faster, and that just allowed us to work off each other. Yesterday it was a lot of standing around…I think the biggest thing was we were kind of just buzzing around, lines were rolling and just guys are working off each other,” Gleason said.
At the 11:09 mark, the Tommies struck again. Lucas Whalin, on a rebound, added to the box score. The goal was Whalin’s twelfth goal of the season and the second point of the night.
Both Gleason and Wahlin recorded their fiftieth career point in the first period of the game.
Scoring could have continued for the Tommies, but a heroic effort from the Lakers’ senior goaltender Ethan Langenegger to block shots from St. Thomas’ sophomore forward Ryan O’Neill and fifth-year forward Luke Manning kept the score 2-0.
The Lakers came out strong for the start of the second period, with junior forward Tim Piechowski and first-year defenseman Chase Cheslock blocking shots from Lake Superior State’s forwards.
Lake Superior State’s dominance did not last long. St. Thomas first-year Jase Sofo, usually a defenseman, extended the St. Thomas’ lead to 3-0 at the three-minute mark with his first collegiate goal.
“I think scoring first allows us to stay in our structure and not deviate from it. I thought we did a pretty good job of that and that forces them to come out of their structure and force the game a little bit,” Blasi said.
The Tommies took a tumble when Lakers’ junior forward Timo Bakos broke the shutout at the 7:42 mark, making the score 3-1.
Later in the second period, St. Thomas cemented the upper hand. Graduate student and forward Noah Prokop scored St. Thomas’ final goal of the night and flipped the score to a dominant 4-1.
“Goals don’t come too often in college hockey … when you got a chance you got to bury it, it’s always a good feeling. But you know, you got to credit the other four guys in the ice for helping you out,” Prokop said.
Similar to the second period, Lake Superior State started the third period with a much-needed rally. Sophomore goaltender Aaron Trotter blocked several shots, killing any momentum by the Lakers. Trotter finished the night with 29 saves.
The night turned chippy with 14 minutes left in the game when a scuffle broke out in front of the St. Thomas bench between both squads. Noah Prokop left the commotion without his helmet. The officials issued roughing penalties for both teams, though St. Thomas left the brawl with a power play.
Lake Superior cut the lead down to 4-2 with 6:59 left as their power play was expiring. The Lakers played with six skaters throughout most of the period but without any major threat to the Tommies’ lead.
“They did have a good push towards the end. They played a good game towards the end. We came out hot and they gave a little pushback… It’s the roller coaster, you know, just staying in the middle of highs and lows,” Gleason said.
One last scramble broke out with two minutes left in the game when first-year defenseman Cam Kungle for the Lakers cross-checked Lucas Whalin for St. Thomas. Kungle was issued a major penalty. Whalin left the game, and no update was given in the post-game conference.
No penalties were issued for game three of the series, meaning all players should be available at the start of the game.
The Tommies and the Lakers face off one last time in a loser-goes-home game three. The stage is set for a 6:07 p.m. puck drop on Sunday, March 10 at Saint Thomas Ice Arena.
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.