The Lasalle Vipers welcomed the St. Mary’s Lincolns to the Vollmer last night in Game 1 of a home-and-home. The two teams had previously split their matchups this season, with the Vipers winning 4-3 and the Lincolns taking the other contest 2-1. The Vipers looked to break the Lincolns’ 10-game winning streak but ultimately couldn’t get the job done, falling 7-3 to the reigning Sutherland cup finalists.
Goaltender Jake Windbiel got the start for Lasalle but was tested early when St. Marys scored their first of the game at 2:12. The Vipers had a power play opportunity at 5:04 following a Lincolns penalty but were unable to make anything of it. Adriano Tonin was called for tripping, but the team responded with a strong push. Just, 40 seconds later, Noah Caswell scored, tying the games for the Vipers. However, the Lincolns regained the lead at 12:43. St. Marys capitalized late in the period, scoring twice in the final two minutes to take a 4-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
Logan Phillips replaced Windbiel in net to start the second period. The Lincolns added to their lead at just 3:09, making it 5-1. Matteo Vilardi was sent to the box at 4:25, putting Lasalle back on the penalty kill. Jak Thiessen gave the Vipers a spark at 9:18, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Unfortunately, 38 seconds later, St. Marys responded again. The Lincolns’ seventh and final goal came at 11:28. Alec Stewart scored the last goal of the game for the Vipers at 13:01 to make it 7-3.
After a busy 40 minutes, the final frame saw just one single penalty called against the St. Marys Lincolns at 15:56. The Vipers were unable to take advantage of the powerplay. Final score 7-3 St. Marys.
The Vipers head to St. Marys for Game 2 of the home-and-home series this Friday January 31st.
Article: Emma Cicovacki
Photo: Isabella Ruccolo