Lakers Goalies Shine In Sweep Of Stallions

BENSENVILLE, Ill. – The Roosevelt University ACHA Division 1 men's hockey team received consecutive strong performances from its goalies to backstop a weekend sweep of Western Michigan at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville.

ROOSEVELT 7, WESTERN MICHIGAN 6– FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2

Roosevelt scored three third-period goals, including Griffin Lehet's game winner with 1:20 remaining, to complete its comeback against Western Michigan on Friday. The Lakers entered the final 20 minutes trailing 6-4, but got one back a little more than five minutes into the game with Danny Bdzoch's 10th goal of the season with Lehet and Max Gracer picking up assists. Quinn Haller tied the game with three minutes left before Lehet scored off feeds from Bdzoch and Frank Moore for the winner.

Paola Suppa made 47 saves to earn the victory in goal, stopping all 18 shots he faced in the third period. The Lakers were outshot 53-41 in the game and were outshot in each period as well. They nearly survived the first unscathed, but Western Michigan scored twice in the final 3:05 of the period to take a 2-0 lead. The Stallions increased the lead to 4-1 during a chaotic first 3:43 of the second period with Bdzoch scoring Roosevelt's first goal less than a minute into the second. Cade Swygert and Moore scored 12 second apart to trim the deficit to one before Western Michigan scored twice more. Moore scored 33 seconds after the last Stallions goal to preserve the two-goal deficit entering the third.

Bdzoch and Moore both scored twice and had two assists in the victory while Lehet finished with three points on his goal and two assists. Nathan Brown also had two helpers for the Lakers offense and five other players finished with assists as well: Chase Caravella, Gracer, Gage McNeish, Tanner Hallett and Zachary Demarce.

ROOSEVELT 2, WESTERN MICHIGAN 1 – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3

All of the scoring in the second game of the weekend series came in the second period as the Stallions increased the pressure on the Lakers. Nick Kotz stopped 42 of the 43 shots he faced, including all 15 in the third period to preserve Roosevelt's third consecutive win. Frank Moore opened the scoring at the halfway mark with assists from Danny Bdzoch and Griffin Lehet before Lehet made it 2-0 in favor of Roosevelt with help from Tanner Hallett. The Stallions scored with less than two minutes left in the second period to ruin Kotz's shutout attempt.

Roosevelt was outshot for the second night in a row, this time by a 43-31 margin, but Kotz did not let the discrepency hurt the Lakers. The Stallions outshot the Lakers 19-13 in the second period and 15-7 in the third as they pressed for the tying goal. The Lakers move to 5-7 overall on the season after the two victories over the Stallions.

The Lakers put their win streak on the line this coming weekend with a home-and-home against Indiana Tech. Roosevelt travels to Fort Wayne, Ind. on Friday to face the Warriors then returns to The Edge Ice Arena on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. faceoff with Indiana Tech.