APPLETON, Wis. – Sophomore
Connor McNaughton scored his first collegiate hat trick to lead the St. Olaf College men's hockey team to a second consecutive 6-3 victory over Lawrence University on opening weekend on Saturday at Appleton Ice Center.
After recording a 6-3 win in the season opener for both teams on Friday night, St. Olaf (2-0-0) repeated the feat to finish off the sweep Lawrence (0-2-0). The Vikings held a 2-1 lead at the first intermission before the Oles netted the next four goals to take a 5-2 advantage early in the third period. The win gave St. Olaf its first 2-0-0 start to a season since 2009-10.
McNaughton's hat trick was part of a four-point afternoon for the sophomore, while classmate
Hunter Hayes added a goal and two assists. Sophomore
Willy Johnson contributed a goal and an assist as well, while senior
Joey Kennelly scored the other goal for the Oles.
Johnson got the scoring started for St. Olaf on the power play just 2:09 into the game, but Lawrence got the goal back midway through the period and netted a power-play goal of its own with 10 seconds to go to carry a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
McNaughton started the Oles' three-goal second period with his first goal of the game at the 4:18 mark before Kennelly scored an unassisted goal at 13:32 to break the 2-2 tie. Hayes extended St. Olaf's lead to 4-2 after two with a power-play goal with just under four minutes to go in the middle period.
McNaughton's second goal of the game came just 1:49 into the third and pushed the Oles' cushion to 5-2. The Vikings got within two midway through the third, but McNaughton completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal inside the final minute.
St. Olaf was a perfect 2-for-2 on the power play to finish the weekend 4-for-8 on the man advantage, while Lawrence was 1-for-5 on the day. First year
Devin Peck made 18 of his 33 saves in the final period to pick up the win in his collegiate debut.
The Oles will host St. Norbert College in their home opener at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 at St. Olaf Ice Arena.
