Box Score FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 1 Ice Hockey team rallied from a first-period deficit and then for the second-consecutive day saved its best hockey for the final 40 minutes- this time out-scoring the opposition 5-2 in the final two periods- on their way to a 5-3 win over Western Michigan University Sunday afternoon at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
"This is the kind of effort that we are looking for night-in and night-out," said head coach
Frank DiCristofaro. "It's great for the team to get this win going into break. Hopefully, we can maintain this momentum into next semester."
Three Warriors got multi-point performances to lead Tech.
Steve Klisz,
Ian Maisonneuve, and
Jarrett Pfeiffer each registered a goal and assist on the day as the Warriors extended their win streak against their future Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL) opponent at two.
Quenton Holmes executed a perfect 2-on-1 with Klisz to knot the game at 1-1 two minutes into the second period. Then Klisz would net a power-play tally with five minutes left in the middle frame to give the Warriors their first lead. Seventeen seconds later the Broncos would respond and knot the game at 2 apiece after two periods.
The Warrior power-play struck again three minutes into the third period when Pfeiffer broke the stalemate from
Kyle Cobb. Five minutes later, Western Michigan tied it at 3-3 to make a game of it.
It took the Warriors just 39 seconds to respond, as
Matt Walton notched the game winner midway through the final period while the teams were playing four-on-four.
Maisonneuve, who set up Walton for the clinching goal, rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal with just 30 ticks remaining with a 100 foot-plus shot. Also notching assists on the scoresheet were Nick Denice,
Michael Cruse, and
Cameron Dimmitt.
Equally impressive as the power play and the offensive output was Tech goaltender
Matt Hughes, who finished the game with 35 saves with 17 of those coming in the final frame while notching his team-leading third win of the season.
Just as the previous night when the Warriors were assessed no penalties, Tech was extremely disciplined in only allowing one power play to the Broncos Sunday- while capitalizing on two Western Michigan penalties.
The Warriors will take on the same Western Michigan University again for their first two games of the 2015 calendar year. Tech will first face off against the Broncos Saturday, Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m. and then Sunday, Jan. 25 at 12:30 p.m. at the SpotOne Parkview IceHouse.
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