Jackson Zloty celebrates vs McKendree (9-15-23)

ACHA M1 Ice Hockey 9/20/2023 1:33:00 PM

M1 Saints Open with a Pair of Wins Over McKendree

ST. LOUIS – Maryville University men's hockey started the 2023-24 season with a pair of wins over McKendree University last weekend. The Saints beat the Bearcats 4-3 in the season opener on the road, before winning 12-2 on Friday in the home opener.

Game One
On Thursday at McKendree, the Saints surrendered a power play goal to Rycol Davis at 18:44 in the first period. Jack Henderson scored less than two minutes into the second period and Brett Ursulak gave Maryville the lead with another goal four minutes later with the helper awarded to Josh Olson.

Blake Martin and Alex Kent led another Bearcat charge, scoring at 6:40 and 7:12 to give their team a 3-2 advantage.

With under three minutes remaining in the second, Lucas Adams buried a shot on the powerplay to tie the game. He struck again a minute later to give Maryville the lead off an assist from Timon Prexler.

After a rocky start to the game, Saints goalie Parker Sawka stopped all five shots he saw in the third period to hang on to a 4-3 win and his first of the season. The freshman from Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, picked up his first career win by saving 19 of 22 shots.

Game Two
Friday's game was much different, with the Saints scoring seven times in the first period. Adams tallied his third of the season to open the scoring and was followed by Jackson Zloty, Jaxon White, and two from Josh Olson and Sam Edwards.

Zloty netted his second of the game in the second period while Adams completed the hat trick with two more goals in the third. Cameron Ware and Hunter Floris both registered their first goals of the season in the third as well, ending a 12-2 rout of McKendree in the second game.

In net, Ed Coffey surrendered two goals in the first period but settled down to stop 20 of 22 including a perfect eight-save second period.

Head Coach John Hogan's Thoughts
"It was a great night for our team and our university's community," said Head Men's Hockey Coach John Hogan. "Our blackout home opener did not disappoint, having over 1,000 people in attendance. The crowd was fantastic and the environment was electric. The guys, knowing Thursday was not their best, made some quick adjustments and played well in front of their friends and family."

When asked about his weekend takeaways, Hogan responded, "I was really impressed with how the guys learned from night one to night two. They executed the battle plan well on Friday and were rewarded. Now, we need to take the good and move forward to Illinois State. Illinois State had our number last year and they are a solid hockey team. We need to make sure we are ready to go in Bloomington."

Next Game
Maryville will travel to Bloomington, Ill., to take on the Illinois State Redbirds this weekend. All three men's teams will travel up together to play their Redbird divisional counterparts. Puck drops for the M3, M2, and M1 games are 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 7 p.m., both on Friday and Saturday. All games will be played at the Grossinger Motors Arena.

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Players Mentioned

#93 Lucas Adams: F; 6' 2"; Junior

#35 Ed Coffey: G; 6' 6"; Senior

#86 Sam Edwards: RW; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#47 Timon Prexler: D; 6' 2"; Junior

#22 Cameron Ware: LW; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#15 Jackson Zloty: C; 6' 2"; Junior

#23 Jaxon White: D; 6' 3"; Junior

#9 Jack Henderson: C; 5' 10"; Freshman

#19 Hunter Floris: LW; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#31 Parker Sawka: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#43 Brett Ursulak: D; 6' 2"; Freshman

#91 Josh Olson: F; 6' 2"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#93 Lucas Adams
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F

#35 Ed Coffey
: 6' 6"; Senior
: G

#86 Sam Edwards
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: RW

#47 Timon Prexler
: 6' 2"; Junior
: D

#22 Cameron Ware
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: LW

#15 Jackson Zloty
: 6' 2"; Junior
: C

#23 Jaxon White
: 6' 3"; Junior
: D

#9 Jack Henderson
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: C

#19 Hunter Floris
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: LW

#31 Parker Sawka
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#43 Brett Ursulak
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: D

#91 Josh Olson
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: F