Warriors Finish Semester Strong with Home Sweep
FREMONT, Neb. – Coming off a two-game sweep last weekend, No. 17 Midland University aimed to continue its momentum on home ice with a series against No. 21 University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). The Warriors edged out an overtime victory on Friday night, 5-4, before completing the sweep on Saturday with a 4-1 win. With the victories, Midland concludes the first semester with a 13-11-1 record.
FRIDAY: Midland 5, Central Oklahoma 4 (OT)
The Warriors struck first as Jack Olson scored at the 8:22 mark off a pass from Logan Wotton. UCO leveled the score just before intermission with a power-play goal at 17:45.
In the second period, Midland wasted no time regaining the lead. Zak Justice lit the lamp just 36 seconds in, assisted by Daniel Suda. Five minutes later, Isaac Hood extended the lead with a goal off a feed from Andy Larsen. Hugo Lukacovic capped the period's scoring with a goal at 17:32, set up by Jared Wisely, giving Midland a 3-1 advantage heading into the final frame.
The Bronchos mounted a comeback in the third period. They scored their second goal midway through and capitalized on a power play with 4:10 remaining to pull within one. With their goalie pulled for an extra attacker, UCO found the equalizer with just 34 seconds left in regulation.
Overtime featured scoring opportunities for both teams, but Midland regrouped quickly. Jared Wisely netted the game-winner just 1:23 into the extra frame, assisted by Wotton and Lukacovic.
In goal, Liam Tereposky made 33 saves for the win, while the Warriors outshot the Bronchos 60-37.
SATURDAY: Midland 4, Central Oklahoma 1
Both teams capitalized on power-play chances in the first period. Tommy Babb opened the scoring at 4:53 for Midland, with assists from Leo Milan and Ethan Brown. UCO responded at 9:26 with a power-play goal of their own, but Zak Justice reclaimed the lead for Midland at 12:13. The Warriors led 2-1 heading into the first intermission.
In the second period, Karl Grafelman provided some breathing room with a power-play goal at 11:13, assisted by Daniel Suda.
Milan Breczko added an insurance goal early in the third, scoring at 5:32 with an assist from Wisely. Midland nearly tacked on two more goals in the period, but one was waved off due to the net being dislodged, and another was ruled to have not crossed the line.
Tereposky earned his second win of the weekend, stopping 28 shots. Midland controlled the game's shot chart, outshooting UCO 45-29.
"I am super proud of the boys for their hard work on the ice and in the classroom this past month," said head coach Jan Dam. "We were able to pick up important wins on the ice and set a program record for our team's semester GPA as well. This team is doing the detail work to be successful in the classroom and on the ice. We are all excited to get to spend time with our families and friends, recharging ourselves before we get going again in January."
Midland (13-11-1) will return to the ice the first weekend of the New Year with a road trip to face No. 2-ranked Minot State (18-2-1). Earlier this season, the Beavers took a pair of hard-fought games against the Warriors in Fremont. Puck drop for the first game of the return series is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 4 in Minot, North Dakota.