GSenior goaltender George Argiropoulos stopped all 21 shots he faced in the Foresters' fourth straight win, a 2-0 victory over Marian University at home Friday night.
The Foresters had two power play chances in the first period but were unable to convert on either of them and the game was still scoreless after the first 20 minutes. Lake Forest held the lead in shots 10-8 going into the locker room.
Freshman forward Cullen Kane broke the ice at 12:27 in the second on a breakaway, beating the goaltender through the five hole. Sophomore forward Troy Nelson was credited with the assist on Kane's fourth goal of the season. The Foresters generated 17 shots in the second, a season high for a period, but were able to score just once.
Lake Forest began the final period with senior forward Bron Loiselle in the penalty box for an infraction after the final whistle in the second. Not only did the home team kill the penalty, but Loiselle doubled the lead just 13 seconds after leaving the box. Sophomore forward Aaron O'Neill collected the puck in the neutral zone and gained the blue line. He dished to sophomore defenseman Mark DerManulian, who found Loiselle alone in front of the goal. Loiselle's second score of the season gave the Foresters a 2-0 lead.
The Sabres had their goalie on the bench in favor of an extra attacker for more than three minutes late in the game but were not able to get the puck past Argiropoulos, who improved to 5-1-2 this season and ranks among the top five in the nation with a .947 save percentage and 1.47 goals against average.
The Foresters outshot Marian 35-21 and have put more shots on goal than their opponents in each of their last four home games.
Lake Forest is now 9-5-4 overall and a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association best 7-2-2 in conference play. Marian, which entered the night atop the NCHA North Division standings, fell to 9-7-3 overall and 8-3-1 in the league.
Lake Forest welcomes Lawrence University into Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
by Cam McGuire
