DE PERE, Wis. — Lawrence University (6-17-1, 1-15-1) fell to St. Norbert College (16-6-2, 12-3-2), 5–2, at St. Norbert's home venue. Lawrence scored both of its goals in the first period, including one on a power play, but could not maintain the lead.
Lawrence opened the first period with a strong start, winning the initial faceoff and maintaining early control. Despite facing pressure, Lawrence's defense, led by goaltender Collin Lemanski, successfully turned away multiple shots from the Green Knights, including a crucial blocked attempt during an early power play.
Cody Brekke broke the deadlock at 14:29 with a power-play goal, assisted by
Robby Pustulka and
PJ Noonan, giving the Vikings the lead. Shortly after,
Roman Cherniak extended the advantage with a short-handed goal, assisted by
Jayden Jensen. Lawrence ended the period ahead 2–0, holding off St. Norbert's attempts to level the score.
St. Norbert began the second period with a strong offensive push, eventually finding the back of the net at 17:18 when Ethan Byrne scored, assisted by Ryan Gingher. Lawrence responded by winning the subsequent faceoff, but a penalty shortly after allowed the Green Knights to capitalize on a power play, with Braydon Beahm scoring at 15:05.
Despite efforts from the Vikings, including blocked shots by
Kenny Sutton and a couple of shots from
Vladimir Fadeev, St. Norbert took the lead with an even-strength goal by Calvin Hanson at 07:01. Lawrence managed to fend off further scoring during a late penalty kill, closing the period trailing 3–2.
The third period saw Lawrence's initial momentum in faceoffs, as
Carter Cloutier and Cherniak won crucial early draws. Despite their efforts, Lawrence's attempts from
Jacob Jakusz and Brekke were saved by the Green Knights' goalkeeper, Hunter Garvey.
St. Norbert capitalized on its opportunities, with T.J. Koufis netting goals at 14:27 and 11:13, assisted by Curtis Hammond and Gingher, extending the Green Knights' lead. Lawrence had a chance to close the gap with a power play at 8:40, but the team couldn't convert it into a goal.
Lawrence continued to challenge with shots from Fadeev and others, but St. Norbert's defense held firm and secured the win for the home team.
