SUPERIOR, Wis.: Fast starts have sort of been a thing for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team in 2019-20. They've scored goals early, sometimes in the first minute, and have had no trouble piling up goals in the opening frame. And more often than not (11 times after tonight), they've scored the first goal of the game.
Friday night featured another fast start. The Yellowjackets lit the lamp four times in the first period, including scoring three times in a span of 2:56. The hole was too deep for Saint John's to climb out of, and the Yellowjackets rolled to a 6-2 win over the Johnnies at Wessman Arena.
The victory helped the Yellowjackets (11-2-1, 5-2-0 overall) surpass their win total for all of last season, and pushed their unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1). The last time the Yellowjackets had an unbeaten streak of six games was a stretch between January 21 and February 10 of 2012.
The pace was furious to open the game Friday, with the Yellowjackets holding the early edge in shots. They broke through at 8:34 when
Jordan Martin (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) picked up a rebound between the circles and scored his third of the year to make it 1-0.
Lawson McDonald (Rosetown, Manitoba/Northlands Parkway Collegiate) and
Andrew Durham (Richardson, Texas/Plano East) assisted.
Just over a minute later the 'Jackets increased the lead.
Troy York (Plano, Texas/West), who had a three-point night, centered a pass from behind the Saint John's net to
Liam Blais (Uxbridge, Ontario/Uxbridge Secondary), and the senior center lifted a shot over the glove of Johnnie goaltender Andrew Lindgren to make it 2-0.
Coltyn Bates (Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) also assisted on Blais' fourth goal of the year.
Moments later
Conor MacLean (Wilcox, Saskatchewan/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) picked up his first collegiate goal, getting a rebound to the left of the Saint John's net and banking a shot in off the post to make it 3-0 at 11:28.
Chad Lopez (Arlington, Texas/University of Texas) and
Dylan Johnson (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet), the reigning WIAC Player of the Week assisted.
In the final minute of the period the Yellowjackets tallied again. This time it was
Bruno Birzitis (Riga, Latvia/Riga Distance Education Secondary), who blasted a one-timer from the right circle over the shoulder of Lindgren for his second of the year at 19:04. The power play goal was assisted by York and McDonald.
Saint John's came out with a lot of jump in the second period, and struck for a pair of power play goals early. Ryan Kero scored the first one just 1:07 in to make it 4-1. Then at 3:31 Adam Orn scored his first of the year, and just like that the lead was cut in half.
The Yellowjackets would get one of the goals back at 14:48. On the power play, York had his initial shot from the left circle blocked, but the rebound came right back to him and he drove it home for his ninth of the year to make it a 5-2 game. With the goal York extended his goal-scoring streak to five games.
Pavel Mikhasenok (Yekaterinburg, Russia/Everest Academy) and
Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everst Academy) assisted.
Then, with 3:37 to play in the second the Yellowjackets closed out the scoring. Birzitis started the play with a brilliant pass from the right wing, and
Will Blake (Champlin, Minn./Breck) finished it, sending a shot from the slot into the top of the net to make it 6-2. Mikhasenok also assisted.
Oscar Svensson (Södertälje, Sweden/Haga Gymnasium) returned to the Yellowjacket goal and earned his eighth win of the year, finishing the night with 24 saves. He is now 8-2-0 on the year. At the other end, Lindgren was tagged with the loss, making 14 saves on 18 shots in the first period. He was relieved by Mac Berglove, who played the last two periods and made 27 saves.
Friday night was the sixth time the Yellowjackets had at least 40 shots on goal in a game.
