Ryan Finnegan had a goal and two assists in Lindenwood’s 6-0 ACHA quarterfinal win over Stony Brook, Sunday night at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8 STONY BROOKÂ (21-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #1 LINDENWOODÂ (20-3) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
Torrance Terrell
Staff Writer
Maryland Heights, MO — The Lindenwood University men’s hockey team is now just two wins away from claiming its fourth American College Hockey Association national championship, thanks to a scintillating 6-0 win over Stony Brook University, in an ACHA quarterfinal game played Sunday night at the Centene Community Ice Center.
The No. 1-seeded Lions, who have been the best defensive team in the country all season, delivered a spectacular offensive performance to knock off the No. 8-seeded Seawolves. Lindenwood was especially good in the second period, when it scored four unanswered goals to take control of the game.
Senior forward Ryan Finnegan got scoring going for Lindenwood, when he drilled a shot past Stony Brook goalkeeper Matvei Kazakov, six minutes into the second period. Then, just 28 seconds later, freshman Aidan Yakimchuk scored a goal to make it 2-0 Lions.
That two-goal lead allowed Lindenwood to relax, which really seem to open up the flood gates, as the Lions got two more goals — from Caige Sterzer and David Gagnon — to go up 4-0. And that proved more than enough for Lindenwood goalkeeper Trent Burnham, who stopped all 22 shots he faced to post his second straight shutout of the playoffs.
Lindenwood outshot Stony Brook 55-22 and closed the night off with goals by Kyle Jeffers and Max Helgeson.
Jeffers and Finnegan both finished the night with a goal and two assists, Gagnon had a goal and an assist, and Caleb Price had two assists, as several Lion players joined Burnham with big nights.
The victory raised Lindenwood’s overall record to 20-3, as it heads into the national semifinals, Monday night, against No. 7 seed Adrian College.
The puck will drop for that contest at 8 p.m., with the winner advancing to face the winner of the other semifinal between Nevada-Las Vegas and Central Oklahoma, in the ACHA national championship game, which will be played Tuesday night at the Centene Community Ice Center.