The Lions have never swept a weekend trip to Arizona, only going 2-1 in their best efforts in the past. But this weekend, the Lions won all games between their D2 and new D3 programs.
On Friday, the D2 Lions took on GCU, who had beaten LMU by two just a week prior. The Lions would score first, as Skenderian scored on a pass from Hawthorne, and led 1-0 after the first. In the second, GCU would tie it up, and the game remained 1-1 after 2. In the third, Kaczmarek would score early, from Skenderian, and gave the Lions their final lead, as they’d hang on for the victory the rest of the third.
On Saturday the Lions would get down early, taking a lot of penalties and trailing 2-0 midway through the second, but the Lions would get in gear and score three straight to beat GCU for a second time on the weekend. Kaczmarek and Lee would score even strength, but Hawthorne would find the net shorthanded, to tie the game 2-2 after 2, and the Lions finished it off from Lee in the third.
Going into the third game of the weekend, the Lions would need to dig deep after playing two games already, with ASU resting the first two nights of the weekend. The Lions would capitalize though, as ASU would take three Too Many Men Penalties in the first period alone, and the Lions would get two power play goals from sophomore Defenseman MacGillivray, who would find himself in the slot and tipping home shots both times. The Lions would get up to 3-0 as Riley Watters scored his second on the weekend, as he fired an off angle shot from the corner that snuck in by the ASU goalie. ASU would score on the PP themselves midway through the third, but couldn’t muster anything else, and Henry Lissner backstopped the Lions to his second win, and the teams third on the weekend.
The D3 team took on first year program Park University on Friday night, with the Lions trailing 1-0 after one. In the second, the Lions would score twice, before the game was called after an injury to LMU’s Brian Bowers. Bowers was checked to the ice, and ended up cutting his arm. The game was called as paramedics worked to stabilize Brian’s wound and he was taken to the hospital.
On Saturday the two teams tried again, with the Lions taking the 8-4 victory over the Pirates. LMU goals from McMillan (x3), Carney (x2), Brown, Slaysman and Lo.
The D2 Lions move to 6 and 3 on the year, and 2-1 in WCHC action. The D3 Lions move to 2-1 on the year and are back at it next weekend, hosting UCSB.