Senior defenseman Colton Craigo had two goals and an assist in Lindenwood’s season-opening win over Missouri State. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| Game 1 – Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lindenwood (1-0) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Scoring Summary | ||||
| 1st Period | ||||
| 10:33 – LU GOAL — Colton Craigo (1), assisted by Vegard Faret, Hayden Ursalak. | ||||
| 2nd Period | ||||
| 19:43 – LU GOAL — Mitch Allard (1), assisted by David Gagnon, Ryan Finnegan. | ||||
| 19:59 – LU GOAL — Colton Craigo (2), assisted by Zach Martin, Caige Sterger. | ||||
| 3rd Period | ||||
| 2:41 – LU GOAL — Vegard Faret (1), assisted by Sam Watson, Caleb Price. | ||||
| 19:32 – LU GOAL — Jackson Wozniak (1), assisted by Kyler Newman, Colton Craigo. |
| Game 2 – Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State (0-2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Lindenwood (2-0) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Scoring Summary | ||||
| 1st Period | ||||
| 4:28 – LU GOAL — Caleb Price (1), assisted by David Gagnon, Mitch Allard. | ||||
| 11:48 – LU GOAL — Caige Sterzer (1), assisted by Colton Craigo, Caleb Price. | ||||
| 2nd Period | ||||
| :47 – LU GOAL — Aiden Yakimchuk (1), assisted by David Gagnon, Kyle Jeffers. | ||||
| 4:39 – MO ST. GOAL — Parker Price (1), assisted by Hart Lee, Anthony Anders. | ||||
| 11:12 – LU GOAL — Blake Finley (1), assisted by Vegard Faret, Niki Molson. | ||||
| 16:01 – MO ST. GOAL — Thorsen Jackson (1), assisted by Anthony Anders, Lars Thomas. | ||||
| 3rd Period | ||||
| 2:55 – LU GOAL — Andy Willis (1), assisted by Ryan Finnegan, Caleb Price. |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
After finishing last season one of the top 5 ranked teams in the country and advancing to the ACHA national tournament quarterfinals, the Lindenwood University men’s hockey team began its much anticipated 2021-2022 season this past weekend at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights.
And the Lions did not disappoint in either of their first two games, earning a pair of thrilling victories over visiting Missouri State by the scores of 5-0 and 5-2.
The season opener was played on Saturday evening, with senior Colton Craigo leading the way for Lindenwood. The standout defenseman scored two goals and added an assist that helped the Lions put the Bears away early.
Craigo’s first goal came midway through the first period on a play set up by fellow senior teammates Vegard Faret and Hayden Ursalak.
The score stayed that way until late in the second period, when Lindenwood set off a double lightning bolt moment by scoring twice in the final 47 seconds to go up 3-0.
Freshman Mitch Allard scored the first goal of his collegiate career on a play assisted by David Gagnon and Ryan Finnegan. Then Craigo added his second goal of the night with one second left in the period, following a couple of slick passes by teammates Zach Martin and Caige Sterger.
Faret scored his first goal of the season at 2:41 of the third period from Sam Watson and Caleb Price, and freshman Jackson Wozniak scored his first collegiate goal at 19:32 to put the game away. Junior goalkeeper Stephen Friedland stopped all 20 shots he faced to get the win in net for the Lions, who dominated the action all night and outshot the Bears 38-20.
In Game 2, Missouri State put up more of a fight, but Lindenwood never trailed, and in fact, spent most of the night ahead by at least two goals.
Freshmen Price, Sterzer, and Aiden Yakimchuk all scored the first goals of their collegiate careers to lead the Lindenwood offense. The goals came in succession and helped the Lions build a 3-0 lead early in the second period.
Missouri State’s Parker Price was another freshman to score his first collegiate goal in the game to get the Bears on the board, but Lindenwood junior Blake Finley scored on a power play to give the Lions back their three-goal lead.
Missouri State cut the score back to 4-2 on a goal by Thorsen Jackson just before the period ended. But Lindenwood junior Andy Willis scored his first goal of the season on a power play at 2:55 of the third to restore the three-goal lead.
From that point on, Lindenwood relied on its defense to deny Missouri State any scoring chances, with freshman goalkeeper Trent Burnham stopping 19 of the 21 shots he faced to get the win.
After taking some time to enjoy its season-opening wins, Lindenwood will be back in action in two weeks, when the Lions will travel to Champaign, Ill., for the first part of a home-and-home, two-game Central States Collegiate Hockey League series against the University of Illinois.
Lindenwood will play at Illinois on Friday, October 8, then return home to play the Illini on Saturday, October 9, at the Centene Community Ice Center.
The following weekend, the Lions will host a pair of CSCHL games against crosstown rival, Maryville, on Friday, October 15, and Saturday, October 16. The Friday night contest is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m., and the Saturday afternoon matchup will drop the puck at 3:30 p.m.
| Lindenwood Men’s Hockey Upcoming Schedule |
| Fri., October 8 — at Illinois — 7 pm |
| Sat., October 9 — vs. Illinois — 4:30 pm |
| Fri., October 15 — vs. Maryville — 7:10 pm |
| Sat., October 16 — vs. Maryville — 3:30 pm |
| Sat., October 23 — vs. Air Force — 4:10 pm |
| Sun., October 24 — vs. Air Force — 4:10 pm |
| All Lindenwood home hockey games will be played at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights. |