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Balanced Attack Leads Pointers Past
Lawrence
Box
Score
One of the most impressive traits of the UW-Stevens
Point men�s hockey team has been its balanced scoring and that continued through
the holiday break as six different players scored in the team�s first game back,
resulting in a 6-3 victory over Lawrence on Sunday at Willett Arena.
�We have relied on the entire team this season,�
Pointers� coach Joe Baldarotta said. �Today it was really evident as a lot of
different players got on the scoresheet.�
The Pointers especially got help from the newly-formed
line of Dan Francis, Anthony Forgione and Brett Coburn. The trio accounted for
three goals as each player recorded a score despite playing together for the
first time during the past week.
�We just put that group together last week and I was
very happy with how they played,� Baldarotta said. �They really move well and
handle the puck well.�
The Pointers had a sluggish start from their 21-day
layoff as Lawrence scored just 1:57 into the game, but Adam Kostichka tied the
game midway through the first period off a perfect pass from Brent Halverson
from behind the net. Early in the second period Francis set up Forgione for a
one-time shot to put the Pointers ahead 2-1, but Lawrence countered to tie the
game at the 8:20 mark of the period on a goal by Kalle Larsson.
�They�re a tough team to play against,� Baldarotta
said. �Give them credit, they gave us all we could handle. I didn�t think we
started playing well until about the second half of the second period.�
UW-Stevens Point caught a break to take the lead at
the 14:53 mark when Vikings� goalie Daniel Ljung was unable to cover a loose
puck and Tom Vernelli poked it into the net.
Halverson added a goal 4:16 into the third period when
he picked the puck away from a Lawrence skater and buried a shot for an
unassisted tally. Francis then set up Coburn for a one-timer on a nifty exchange
just over a minute later to put the Pointers ahead 5-2. Francis finished the
Pointers� scoring with a goal at the 14:07 mark and Lawrence added a late goal
when UW-Stevens Point goalie Bryn Davies was taken down and Andy Rozanski put
the puck in an empty net.
UW-Stevens Point outshot the Vikings 31-25, including
11-5 in the third period. Davies stopped 22 shots for the Pointers, who begin a
six-game road trip on Friday at UW-Superior. |
