Men's Hockey Opens Battle of the Border Series With Two Wins
The Cougars kicked off the five-game Battle of the Border series against Lake Superior State University with two wins over the weekend.
In game one, the Sault opened the scoring midway through the first when Jakob Kovacs buried his second of the season from Owen Avery. Goaltender Keenan Marks stood tall early, turning aside all 11 shots he faced in the first. In the second period, Lucas Diberardino extended the lead with his first of the year, assisted by Liam McDonald, before the Lakers responded on the power play to cut the lead to 2-1. The game stayed tight through most of the third until the Cougars exploded late, netting three in the final five minutes. Nolan Dejardins scored his first of the season from Kovacs and Cameron Lemcke, followed by an empty netter from Ethan Novello and a late goal from Brock Santa Maria, assisted by Caleb Wood and Nick Jameus.
Marks finished the night with 26 saves on 27 shots, earning his second win of the season. The Cougars outshot the Lakers 37 to 27, while holding them to just one goal on five power play opportunities.
In game two, the Cougars wasted no time, scoring four times in the first 20 minutes of play. Avery got things started less than two minutes in, finishing a feed from Jameus and Santa Maria. Piper Post doubled the lead at 8:18, with Wood and Novello adding helpers. On the power play, Dylan Winsor extended the lead from Cameron Lemcke and Jameus, before Jameus capped off the dominant period with a power play goal of his own in the final seconds, assisted by Santa Maria and Chase Johnson. The Cougars kept rolling in the second as Jameus struck again, with his second of the night, followed by a goal from Wood midway through the second. The Lakers got one back late, but the Cougars held control with a 6 to 1 lead through 40 minutes. In the final period, the Lakers scored twice, including one on the power play, but the Cougars sealed it with goals from Santa Maria and Wood to close out the 8 to 3 victory.
Jameus led the way with two goals and two assists, while Santa Maria (1G, 3A) and Wood (2G, 2A) each finished with four point nights. Avery also added a goal and assist in the win. Marks once again earned the victory, stopping 23 of 26 shots, while the Cougars capitalized three times on the power play.
With the pair of wins, Sault College takes a 2 to 0 lead in the five game Battle of the Border series.
Next action for the men's hockey team is October 24 at 7pm CST when they play a three-game weekend at the Marian University Showcase.
Photo credit: FreezeFramePhotoz