Waldorf blanks Illinois State, earns series sweep
By: Waldorf Sports Information Director
ALBERT LEA, Minnesota – Recording its second straight shutout, the Waldorf University hockey team took care of business with a 6-0 win over Illinois State University to complete a series sweep on Saturday.
“We stayed pretty consistent throughout the weekend,” Waldorf coach Brett Shelanski said.
The Warriors (10-2) came into the contest ranked No. 8 in the latest American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II Central Region poll and continued their dominance, coming off Friday’s 9-0 win that saw 14 players register at least one point.
Seniors Spencer Johnson, Jacob Bales, juniors Matthew Liggett, Drew Soderberg, freshmen Jason Roeske and Tyler Wilson notched goals for Waldorf on Saturday.
“It was good to see the balanced production throughout our lineup with all 12 of our forwards recording points and every player in our lineup having a plus rating [Friday] night and six different goal scorers [on Saturday],” Shelanski said.
Ten players contributed at least one point for the Warriors during the series finale. Junior Travis Park provided two assists. Johnson, Roeske, Liggett, Bales and Wilson each turned in an assist to tally two points apiece. Waldorf also received one assist apiece from seniors Alex Fleming, Jake Taylor and junior Jeremy Navarro.
Junior goaltender Dustin Stevens picked up the shutout, recording 19 saves for the Warriors.
Joey Garapolo collected 38 saves against 44 shots for the Redbirds (5-10). Garapolo logged 50 minutes, 29 seconds in goal. Illinois State’s Max Johnson stopped all 10 shots he faced while closing out the remaining 9:31.
Waldorf outshot the Redbirds by a 54-19 margin. The Warriors clamped down defensively, allowing a combined 29 shots in the weekend series.
“The commitment we showed to the defensive side of the puck was impressive,” Shelanski said.
Wilson scored the game’s opening goal in the 10th minute of the opening period following assists from Park and Liggett.
Waldorf struck twice in the second period. Johnson pushed the Warriors to a two-goal advantage in the fifth minute, while Wilson and Taylor were credited with assists. Bales found the back of the net with less than three minutes remaining in the period, and Roeske contributed the assist.
Putting the game out of reach, Waldorf tacked on three more goals in the third period. Thirty-two seconds into the final period, Liggett converted on a power play off an assist from Johnson. Roeske drove home a goal in the 10th minute behind assists from Bales and Navarro. Soderberg added the final goal 39 seconds later, scoring off assists from Fleming and Park.
The Warriors return to action in next weekend’s home-and-away series against No. 15 University of St. Thomas (4-7). Waldorf opens the series with the Tommies on Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Albert Lea City Arena. The two teams conclude the series on Saturday in a 7 p.m. matchup at St. Paul, Minnesota.