The roller hockey Gold squad was shutout by Farmingdale State College 2-0 Sunday morning in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) D4 National Championship at Bill Gray's Iceplex in Rochester, New York. Rams goaltender Michael Muccio-Schrimpe stifled the Lions, stopping all 22 shots he faced to earn Star #1 honors in the contest.
After a scoreless first period, Farmingdale broke the shutout late in the second. They added an unassisted tally early in the third and then clamped down on the Lions with stingy defense. Lindenwood pulled goalie
Josh Martin with two minutes remaining, but still could not find the back of the net.
The Rams outshot the Lions 25 to 22, and Martin stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced.
Lindenwood advanced to the semifinals with a 7-1 quarterfinal victory over Florida Gulf Coast late Saturday night. The Lions took control early with four goals in the first period, two coming on the power play.
Austin Steger netted the first with the man advantage off a feed from
Joe Mula and Mula earned his second assist when he set up
Addison Curcuru at even strength. Mula helped again on a
Nick Thorpe drive and Curcuru split the pipes with help from
Jeremiah Keao. A late Lindenwood penalty helped the Eagles did one back with a second to go to make it 4-1 Lions after one.
Florida Gulf Coast settled down a bit in the second period and played better defense. Lindenwood still put several shots on goal, but was only able to score once on a Thorpe power play blast, assisted by Steger. Thorpe hit the back of the net again in the third unassisted, and
Anthony Willis set up
Matthew Galloni for the final goal of the game.
The Lions outshot the Eagles 41 to 12 and
Tyler Kolly made 11 saves on 12 shots faced to earn the victory in goal for Lindenwood. Thorpe earned Star #1 honors with a hat trick, Steger was named Star #2 with a goal and two assists, and Curcuru earned Star #3 with two goals.
The Lions began the tournament by going 2-1 in Pool A. The first game was a 5-2 loss to eventual national champion Bethel (Tenn.) on Thursday. Despite outshooting the Wildcats 8-6 in the first period, Lindenwood fell behind 3-0. Steger started a comeback for the Lions with an unassisted shot early in the second and Kenneth Gibson pulled Lindenwood within a goal with a power play chance helped by Kenneth Gibson and
Cameron Rodriguez, but that was as close as the Lions would get. Bethel scored the next two for a 5-2 lead and that's how it ended.
Lindenwood outshot the Wildcats 30-20 and Martin stopped 15 of the 20 shots he faced to take the loss in goal.
The Lions rebounded quickly with a 5-4 victory over Farmingdale Thursday night. After the Rams took the lead on a power play in the first period, Lindenwood answered with a Rodriguez shot, helped by Willis. Farmingdale took a 2-1 advantage early in the second, but the Lions scored the next two off the sticks of Steger and Mula. The final period was all about the power play. Gibson made it 4-2 early in the third at even strength, but then the two teams traded man-advantage goals the rest of the way. The Rams scored twice and Lindenwood once on a Thorpe shot, but that was enough.
Farmingdale outshot the Lions 27-20 and Kolly stopped 23 of 27 for Lindenwood in goal. Mula was named Star #1 of the game with a goal and three assists, Thorpe earned Star #2 honors with a goal and assist, and Willis was named Star #3 with two assists.
After two tough games in pool play, the third proved a bit easier as the Lions stopped Slippery Rock 7-1. Willis and Keao each scored twice, while Curcuru, Galloni, and Steger each found the back of the net once. Lindenwood outshot the Pride 23 to 8, and Martin made seven saves on the eight shots he faced. Keao earned Star # 1 honors with two goals and an assist, Willis was named Star #2 with two goals, and Galloni earned Star #3 with a goal and an assist.
The Lions finish the season with an overall record of 15-8 and a Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League mark of 7-3. Six of the eight defeats on the season came at the hands of teams from Bethel. Lindenwood advanced to the conference final, but was swept in two straight games. The loss in the NCRHA D4 National Championship semifinals ended a streak of eight straight national titles for the Lions.
