BOTTINEAU ND –
Phillip Silveria broke a scoreless tie and
Cyril Nagurski added an empty net goal as the visiting University of Mary hockey team tallied twice in the third period to defeat Dakota College at Bottineau 2-0 and complete a weekend sweep. UMary followed a similar script from the previous game when the Marauders also scored twice in the final stanza of a 3-1 victory at home over the Lumberjacks.
First in the final ACHA Division II West region rankings after spending every week atop the leaderboard, the Marauders improved to an incredible 38-4-2-1 in UMary's inaugural season. The victory gives the Marauders a season sweep of the four games against the Lumberjacks, ranked 13
th in the West region.
The Marauders finish the season undefeated against teams from the ACHA Division II West region, posting a record of 28-0-1-0. Overall the Marauders went 37-1-1-0 against ACHA Division II programs. UMary has two games remaining, both against ACHA Division I University of Jamestown.
A defensive battle between the Marauders and the Jacks, UMary held a 20-8 edge in shots through the first two periods but each team's goalkeepers made sure to keep the game close. Both UMary's
Lance Knudson and Dakota's Jay Pringle kept the puck out of the net to keep fans glued to their seats.
Silveria finally broke the scoreless tie when he beat Pringle 5:45 into the third period. It was the tenth goal and the second game-winner of the season for the Crosby, ND, native.
Kyler Moore and
Cyril Nagurski provided the assists.
After withstanding a Dakota power play opportunity with time winding down, Nagurski sealed the Marauders win with an empty net goal with 20 seconds left in the game. Taking a pass from
Jonathan Sundell, Nagurski scored into the empty net for the second time this season after also scoring in similar fashion at Jamestown in the Hockey Day North Dakota outdoor game.
Knudson finished the game with 14 saves to earn his fifth shutout and 18
th win. One night after the Marauders fired 62 shots on the Jacks net, Pringle stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced.
After taking a week off, the Marauders conclude their first season with a home-and-home series against Jamestown on March 1-2. The two teams fist play in Jamestown before playing at home in Mandan, ND, on Saturday, March 2, at 7 pm.
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