No. 21 Warriors Sweep Waldorf in Weekend Series

FREMONT, Neb. – It was a battle of Warriors on the ice this weekend as No. 21 Midland University hosted Waldorf University in a Midwest College Hockey (MCH) showdown. Midland scored a pair of first-period goals and withstood a late charge to win, 2-1, on Friday night. On Saturday, it was all Midland after the first period, as the Warriors cruised to a 6-1 win and a weekend sweep.

FRIDAY: Midland 2, Waldorf 1

In one of the quickest games of the season, Midland and Waldorf played a low-scoring, low-penalty opener on Friday night. Lasse Rickert scored the first goal of the weekend off a feed from Karl Grafelman and Jared Wisley at the 12:35 mark of the first period. Just over two minutes later, Ethan Brown netted a power-play goal to stake the Warriors to a lead heading into the first intermission. Andy Larsen and Leo Milan assisted on what would prove to be the game-winning goal.

Waldorf battled back with a quick goal early in the second period. The visitors from Forest City, Iowa, were limited offensively, managing only six shots through two periods. In the final frame, they got off five shots on target but were denied by Elijah Marchese, who earned the win in net.

Marchese finished with 10 saves on the night, while Waldorf's goalie tallied 43 saves in defeat. Midland was 1-for-4 on the power play and killed off all five of Waldorf's advantages.

SATURDAY: Midland 6, Waldorf 1

In the series finale, Midland struck first as Lasse Rickert found the back of the net at the 5:33 mark off a feed from Tommy Babb. Waldorf responded a few minutes later, and the teams skated to a 1-1 tie after one period of play.

Waldorf's mistakes mounted in the second period, as the team committed three minor penalties. Midland capitalized, going 3-for-3 on the power play in the period. Hugo Lukacovic scored the first power-play goal at the 4:36 mark off a pass from Jared Wisley. Karl Grafelman added an even-strength goal at the midway point, pushing Midland's lead further.

Rickert and Lukacovic each scored again before the end of the period, stretching the lead even further. Rickert's power-play goal came at 12:25 off assists from Lukacovic and Logan Wotton. Lukacovic's goal, also on the power play, was assisted by Wisley and Andy Larsen with 5:37 left in the period.

In the final period of play, Midland focused on protecting its lead. Waldorf had a pair of power-play chances but was held in check. Larsen capped off the scoring with a goal at 3:00. Grafelman earned an assist on the goal for a multi-point night.

Liam Tereposky was solid in goal for Midland, collecting 17 saves to earn the win. Midland dominated the shot count, 38-18.

Midland (15-15-1) will look to keep things rolling after a weekend off. The Warriors will be back in action on February 7-8 when they host UMary (19-9-0). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. both nights inside Sidner Ice Arena in Fremont.