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Men's hockey gets first win

Mike Cassano
December 4, 2003

Two days after Thanksgiving, the men's hockey team traveled to northern Wisconsin to play their annual non-conference game against the Northland College Lumberjacks. The Oles ended a four game losing streak on Saturday night, with a convincing 5-2 win over the Northland Lumberjacks.

Senior captain Mike Jewison (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) got the scoring started early in the first period. He got the puck from a face-off in the offensive zone and put a low hard shot in the net. Northland would strike back with only one minute remaining in the first period. With the Oles on the power play, Goalie Mark Skeba (Jr., Wheaton, Ill.) came out to headman the puck, that squirted away from him and onto a Lumberjack stick for their first goal.

Northland stuck once again in the second to take a short lead 2-1 lead. Ted Bickle (So., Chanhassen, Minn.) recorded his first goal as an Ole, to tie the game at 2-2. With the momentum shifting, the Oles were quick to recover the lead. Keith Townsend (Jr., Sterling Heights, Mich.) slammed home a bouncing puck just five minutes after the Bickle goal. Defensemen Mitch Mudra (FY, Edina, Minn.) fired a hard shot towards the net which deflected off the goalie and right on Townsend's stick.

Only a minute later the Oles would strike again. Andy Heyne (Jr., Minnetrista, Minn.) made a great play at the blue line to get the puck deep into Northlands zone. Mike Cassano (Jr., Littleton, Colo.) found Bryan Hapka (Jr., Mukwonago, Wis.) unguarded in front of the net and Hapka gave the Oles a 4-2 lead.

The third period brought much of the same domination by the Oles. Unfortunately the Oles took 12 penalties for a total of 24 minutes. so they spent nearly half the game either short handed or playing 4-on-4.

In net for the Oles, goalie Mark Skeba had 23 saves on 25 shots in the winning effort. The win improves Skebas overall record to 2-0 as a goalie at St. Olaf.

With the victory, the Oles improved their record to 1-5-1 overall. The Oles open conference play this weekend against Saint Marys at home Friday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Contact Le Ann Finger at 507-786-3834 or finger@stolaf.edu.