Warriors Finish Homestand with Sweep of Grand Canyon

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted Grand Canyon University for a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday as it completed a five-game homestand at Sidner Ice Arena. The Warriors were too much for the Antelopes to handle as they won 11-0 and 12-1 to improve to 5-0 on the season.

SATURDAY: Midland 11, Grand Canyon 0

The Warriors scored early and often with six goals in the opening period. Maxine Mass got things going just past the two-minute point of the period off an assist from Ava Matthews-McCulley and Brynn Tosh.

Also scoring the period were Ally Rakowski (twice), Tanna Christensen, Kamryn Hayhurst, and Callie Maguire. Rakowski completed her hat trick in the second at the 12:42 mark while Maguire added a second score in the period as well, as Midland took an 8-0 lead into the final intermission.

In the final period, three more Warriors added their names to the goal column. Rylee Martin scored 28 seconds into the period followed by Karenna Grothmann (5:15) and Grace Page (13:56).

Midland dominated the scoring chances with a 66-7 shot advantage. Meghan Stewart earned her first win, shutting out the Antelopes while collecting seven saves.

SUNDAY: Midland 12, Grand Canyon 1

For the second straight day, the Warriors jumped onto the Antelopes early with five goals in the first period. Grace Page's two goals bookended the scoring that also saw goals from Kamryn Hayhurst, Maxine Mass, and Callie Maguire.

In the middle period, Midland's scoring surged on with three more goals. Ally Rakowski added two goals to her weekend with a powerplay goal at the 7:41 mark and then a shorthanded goal at the 14:19 mark. Hayhurst added her second score of the day in the period as well, giving the Warriors an 8-0 advantage at the final intermission.

Less than a minute into the final period, Rakowski completed her second hattrick of the weekend as Kayla Flanigan and Maguire found her on the powerplay. Rylee Martin, Kaeleigh Kachmarski, and Flanigan completed the scoring for the Warriors as they reached an even dozen.

Grand Canyon avoided the shutout as they found a gap in the defense at the midway point.

Earning the win in net for MU was Kaylee Franz, her first as a collegian. She corralled 11 saves on the day as the Warriors outshot the Antelopes 58 to 12.

"It's always great to get a sweep, especially in front of our home fans," commented head coach Jason White. "I thought our defense played well, limiting GCU's chances. Offensively, we got a lot of players opportunities and they made the most of them. This coming week will be a good test for us, playing on the road for the first time this year."

Next week, Midland (5-0) will travel to the East Coast to take on Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The Warriors will meet up for one game with the Rams on Thursday in Providence ahead of a two-game series with the Minutewomen in Amherst on Friday and Saturday.