Five players on the team had two points, including junior forward Joey Sardina, as Lake Forest hosted and defeated Finlandia University 6-3 Friday night in the first game of their weekend series.
Sardina's fourth goal of the season gave the home team the lead for good in the final minute of the second period. He redirected a shot from senior defenseman Connor Duncan into the goal with just 47.7 seconds on the clock, making the score 3-2. Freshman forward David Cohen was also credited with an assist on the play.
Lake Forest had netted the first two goals of the night, beginning with sophomore forward Will Lebel's fifth of the year just 104 seconds into the contest. He was assisted by a pair of defensemen, junior Mark DerManulian and senior Zach Feldman. DerManulian has now helped set up at least one goal in each of the last seven games and has a total of 10 helpers during that span. Sophomore forward Kyle Cote scored exactly five minutes later to double the Forester advantage. Cohen and sophomore forward Josh Giacomin earned assists on the first of Cote's two goals on the evening.
Finlandia, however, got on the scoreboard with a power play goal at the 12:15 mark of the second period and tied the game at 6:31 in the second.
After Sardina put Lake Forest back on top late in the second, the Foresters pulled away in the third. Freshman forward Drew Shields accounted for the official game-winner six-and-a-half minutes into the period and Cote converted a power play opportunity at the 13:38 mark to make the score 5-2. Junior defenseman Nolan Carothers and freshman defensemen Brendan Coughlin assisted Shields and Cote's fourth score of the season was set up by Sardina and Duncan. The assist for Coughlin was his first career point.
The Lions pulled back to within two scores at the 15:01 mark and pulled their goalie with 1:24 to play. Giacomin filled the empty net with 53.6 seconds for his sixth goal of the season and third consecutive two-point game.
Lake Forest out-shot Finlandia 53-18 on the night and Forester junior goaltender Boyd DiClemente earned his 12th win of the season, matching the third-highest total in recorded team history.
The victory raised the Foresters' overall record on the year to 12-2-1 and Northern Collegiate Hockey Association mark to 9-1-0. The Lions fell to 3-11-2 overall and 1-8-2 in the league. The same two teams will face off again in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon at 4:00.
