APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University men's hockey team knocked off previously unbeaten and seventh-ranked Aurora University 4-1 on Saturday in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at the Appleton Ice Center.
    Lawrence (4-5-1, 2-4-0 NCHA) grabbed the lead in the second period and added a pair of third-period tallies to get the victory over Aurora, which entered the game riding a nine-game win streak to start the season. It was Lawrence's first win over a ranked opponent since the Vikings topped No. 14 St. Norbert College 3-1 on Feb. 14, 2020.
    Lawrence goaltender Brian Tallieu was superb as he stopped 52 shots, including 26 in the final period, to earn the victory. Josh Boyko made 18 saves and took the loss for Aurora.
    The Spartans (9-1-0, 5-1-0) jumped on top with a goal from Andrew Lane at the 11:26 mark of the first period. Lawrence answered just 34 seconds later as Zach Lodes scored off passes from Kyle Gierman and Akhmed Malsagov, who was making his Lawrence debut, to tie the game at 1-1.
    The score stayed that way until Will Robertson gave the Vikings the lead for good when he scored off a feed from Gierman and Zack Olen at 13:32 of the second period. 
    Lawrence increased the margin when Oliver DeCroock zipped a shot past Boyko just two minutes into the third period for a 3-1 advantage. Olen and Vincent Dekumbis both collected assists on the goal. It was the first shot of the period for the Vikings, and Boyko made just one save in the third.
    The Spartans pulled Boyko from the net with less than two minutes remaining, and Olen turned a hustle play into a goal to seal the victory. Olen streaked down the ice to reach a puck flipped forward by Dekumbis and scored the empty-netter for the final margin with 1:27 remaining.
    Both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play in the contest.
    Lawrence returns to action on Dec. 11 when the Vikings face St. John's University.