By Aaron Todd <[email protected]> —
Jordan Steinmetz and Kaden Pickering scored goals, and Emil Zetterquist was once again outstanding between the pipes, making 29 saves to help lead the St. Lawrence University men’s hockey team in a 2-2 tie with Sacred Heart in a non-league game on Saturday night at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The game, which was announced on Thursday after a weekend series with Clarkson was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, was the Saints’ first non-league game of the year and ended a three-game losing streak for St. Lawrence.
“We did not execute tonight,” said Charles W. Appleton II Head Men’s Hockey Coach Brent Brekke. “We turned over pucks in all three zones and then did not defend hard enough to create transition. I felt we were disconnected the entire night. Fortunately, Zets played great again in net.”
Steinmetz got the Saints on the board with a shorthanded goal just over five minutes into the game, passing back and forth with David Jankowski on a two-on-one before Steinmetz finally buried it at the mouth of the goal skating up the left side. Luc Salem also picked up an assist on they play, creating the odd-man rush with a breakout pass.
Sacred Heart tied the game six minutes later as Tim Clifton redirected a shot from the point by Patrick Dawson that sailed over Zetterquist’s left shoulder.
The Pioneers took the lead at the 4:43 mark of the second period as Grant Anderson fired the puck hard from the left side off the end boards and it bounced right to Marc Johnstone at the right post, who quickly dumped it into the open net.
Kaden Pickering tied the game five minutes later, finding the puck loose in a scrum in front of the cage and lifting it top shelf for his fifth goal of the year. Cameron Buhl and Nicholas Trela picked up assists on the play.
The Saints appeared to take the lead six and half minutes into the third period when Greg Lapointe fired a hard low shot into the net, but after a challenge by Sacred Heart and an extensive review, the officials determined that St. Lawrence had too many men on the ice earlier in the play, and the goal was nullified.
Sacred Heart’s Braeden Tuck had the best chance to win the game in overtime, taking a pass all alone in front of the Saints’ net one minute into the extra frame, but Zetterquist made a sprawling stop on his shot, and Steinmetz blocked another that was headed for the back of the net a few seconds later to preserve the tie.
St. Lawrence struggled to produce scoring chances in the third and overtime periods, as Sacred Heart held a 12-2 advantage in shots on goal in the final 25 minutes of play. The Pioneers finished the game with a 31-14 advantage in shots on goal.
The Saints’ penalty kill continued to excel, finishing the night +1 with a shorthanded goal and six successful kills. St. Lawrence’s PK unit now ranks first nationally with a 93.3% success rate.
St. Lawrence, now 4-6-3 on the season, currently has an open weekend on its schedule next weekend and will host Quinnipiac on February 26-27 at Appleton Arena. Any additions to the schedule will be announced when final details are arranged.
(St. Lawrence Men’s Hockey Photo)
