In a battle between teams with long winning streaks, the Lions kept theirs going with a convincing 7-4 win over Minot State to advance to the semifinals of the American Collegiate Hockey League (ACHA) Division 1 National Championship Tournament Sunday night in Strongsville, Ohio. The Beavers had entered the contest on a 20 game streak while Lindenwood was undefeated in the previous 19 straight.
Well before many in the crowd had settled into their seats, Grant Gorczyca scored for the Lions just 34 seconds into the game at the end of a perfect two against one play with the final pass coming from Jeremy Meletti. After the quick start, the two teams sparred back and forth for the next 11 minutes until Minot State deposited a loose puck in the back of the Lindenwood net with 8:05 left. At the first intermission, the score was knotted 1-1.
What started as a close battle in the first turned into an offensive showcase for the Lions in the second as they used their speed and crisp passing to score five goals, including two on the power play. The first of those power play goals came from Meletti with 15:56 left in the period with help from Joe Bostic and Steve Brancheau. Neeco Belanger lit the lamp at even strength just over two minutes later off of a feed from Colin Long, and Bostic scored 71 seconds after that on a pass from Cam Chinnery. With 9:04 left in the second, Niklas Bunnstedt buried the puck for the fourth goal of the period for the Lions assisted by Brancheau. Things would get chippy in the latter half of the second which resulted in a five-on-three power play opportunity for Lindenwood. Gorczyca took advantage as he scored with 7:18 left. Long assisted on the play which gave the Lions a 6-1 lead at the second intermission.
With a comfortable five goal lead, the Lions went into a defensive mode, but the strategy almost backfired as the Beavers started chipping away, scoring three unanswered goals in the final period to pull within two of Lindenwood. In the end, the margin was enough for the Lions as they added an empty net goal from Long with three seconds remaining to make the final score 7-4.
The remaining four teams in the championship all get a day off and will be reseeded for the semifinals on Tuesday. As a result, top seeded Penn State faces number 13 Oakland University and the Lions face number three seed Delaware. The Blue Hens are coming off of a marathon win after needing an extra 29 minutes of hockey to outlast Ohio University 5-4 on Sunday. The Bobcats scored midway into the first period and then the teams traded goals back and forth all the way through regulation with Delaware tying the game late in the third to send it into overtime. Defense locked down through the first overtime period and into the second with both teams successfully killing off two power plays. The Blue Hens finally earned their first lead of the contest when it counted as they scored the game winner nine minutes into the second overtime period.
The Cinderella story of the championship so far is Oakland University. The Grizzlies played the first game of the entire tournament on Friday and stopped Mercyhurst, and then upset number four seed Arizona State with a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday. In another close game, Oakland defeated number 12 Adrian 5-4 on Sunday to set the matchup with Penn State. Meanwhile, the Icers have been methodical in their charge to the semifinals as they defeated number 17 seed West Virginia 4-1 and then topped number nine seed Oklahoma 6-3. Penn State and Oakland square off in the first semifinal of the day at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
The second between Lindenwood and Delaware is a rematch from last year's championship tournament. The Lions beat the Blue Hens in the 2011 ACHA Division 1 semifinals by a score of 2-0. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m. March 6 at the Hoover Arena in Strongsville, Ohio. You can watch the game online through FASTHockey.com. Use the link below to sign up for free and follow the Lions.
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