After breezing past its first two opponents in pool play, the top seeded Lindenwood women's ice hockey team received a scare Friday night at the ACHA Division I National Tournament in Blaine, Minn. The Lady Lions led 5-2 entering the final period, but a furious charge by Grand Valley State nearly spoiled the team's chances at repeating as national champions. However, Lindenwood escaped with a 5-4 win and advanced to Saturday night's national semifinal.
Much like their first two games in pool play, the Lady Lions jumped on their opponents quickly.
Miranda Schrock scored less than four minutes into the game and shortly after,
Mandy Dion netted a power play goal to stake Lindenwood to a 2-0 lead. Late in the frame, Schrock added her second tally to extend the lead to three.
Grand Valley State opened the second period with a goal, but
Bret Lobreau found the back of the net midway through to make it 4-1 Lindenwood. The two teams would exchange goals again over the final eight minutes of the period.
Janella Brodett's score with just over three minutes remaining appeared to have erased any doubts of a letdown. However, Grand Valley State made a serious push in the final 20 minutes.
In the opening moments of the third, the Lakers cut the deficit to two with a goal. Grand Valley State scored again at the eight minute mark to move within one. The Lady Lion defense would frantically keep the puck away from the Lakers and held on to advance.
Rebecca Bernet earned the win in net for Lindenwood. The four goals are the most she has allowed since giving up six against Rhode Island back on Jan. 16.
Lindenwood finished pool play 3-0 and advances to Saturday night's national semifinal against that very same Rhode Island team. Puck is scheduled to drop at 8:15 p.m.
Mandy Dion recorded her second straight hat trick and Lindenwood pushed its record to 2-0 in pool play with a 6-1 victory over Michigan State.
The difference in the game was the Lady Lions' ability to capitalize on power play opportunities. Lindenwood finished four-of-seven with a man advantage, and defensively, was able to kill off six chances by the Spartans.
Dion netted the first power play goal midway through the opening period to give Lindenwood a 1-0 lead. Minutes later,
Shea Crawford found the back of the net to extend the lead to two going into the second.
The score would remain 2-0 until late in the middle period when
Sarah Oliphant and Crawford scored back-to-back goals to make it 4-0. Crawford's second tally came with a man advantage.
Dion scored again on the power play in the third, and after Michigan State tallied its only score of the contest, she logged another power play score to complete the hat trick.
Bernet stopped 20 of 21 shots to pick up the win in goal, and
Lisa Moreau chipped in with four assists.
With the victory, the Lady Lions reached 40 wins on the season for the first time in program history.
Lindenwood opened pool play with a 5-0 shutout over the University of Massachusetts. The victory marked the third straight shutout for the Lady Lions, and their eighth in the last nine games.
Dion was the story of the night, as the senior scored four goals all together. In the first period she netted a power play goal to give Lindenwood a 1-0 lead after one. She added a pair of even strength tallies in the opening ten minutes of the second period to notch the hat trick. Late in the frame,
Alexandra Johansson scored on the power play to make it 4-0.
In the third, Dion found the back of the net once again to cap the scoring for the Lady Lions.
Bernet earned the win in goal stopping 15 shots, and Moreau finished with three assists.