Waldorf sweeps Minnesota in shutout
By Matt Oliver
ALBERT LEA, Minn. – The Waldorf College hockey team extended its winning streak to eight games, completing the series sweep over the University of Minnesota in dominant fashion with a 7-0 victory on Saturday.
“Our defensemen moved the puck well and our forwards did a good job of getting to the net and finishing on scoring chances,” Waldorf coach Brett Shelanski said.
Buddy Napier led the Warriors (12-6) with four points, notching two goals and dishing out two assists on the night.
Waldorf sophomore Drew Soderberg provided a team-high three assists and sophomore Travis Park added two assists.
Ronald Paulson collected 28 saves to record his second shutout of the season for the Warriors. The sophomore goaltender from Wainwright, Alberta also aided his team with an assist.
A night after scoring four goals in the series opener, the Golden Gophers (2-6) were silenced on the offensive end.
“We were able to limit their amount of high-quality offensive opportunities, so it was good to have the shutout to show for those efforts,” Shelanski said.
Senior Jacob Bales put Waldorf in front in the seventh minute of the opening period, finding the back of the net with assists from Soderberg and Napier.
The Warriors notched their second goal of the first period as sophomore Matthew Liggett converted on a power play in the 14th minute. Juniors Spencer Johnson and Artem Savelyev contributed assists.
Continuing a strong offensive attack, Waldorf dominated the second period with three more goals.
Fifty-four seconds into the second period, Reed Loucks delivered a goal. The senior forward from Melita, Manitoba leads the Warriors with nine goals on the season and was assisted by sophomore Jeffrey Bartel and Liggett.
Minnesota was denied on all six of its power plays while the Warriors capitalized on two of their eight advantages.
“We got some good lucks and puck movement on our power play with a couple of goals and our penalty kill was very solid,” Shelanski said.
Waldorf freshman Ryan Veillet slammed home a goal on a power play in the ninth minute of the second period following assists from Park and Loucks.
Napier scored the final goal of the second period less than three minutes later. Soderberg and Paulson turned in assists on the score.
Napier tallied his second goal in the third period. The sophomore forward from West St. Paul, Minn. received assists from Park and Soderberg.
Johnson connected for the final goal of the night with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Napier set up the score with his second assist.
Twenty points were generated by 11 Waldorf players. The Warriors outshot the Golden Gophers by a 56-28 margin.
Waldorf is ranked No. 10 in the latest American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II Central Region poll. The Warriors look to build momentum as they ride their current hot streak into next weekend’s series against No. 1 Lindenwood University-Belleville (15-3) at Hazelwood, Missouri. Game times are 8 p.m. on Friday and 3:45 p.m. Saturday.