Haven't seen a boxscore for SLU-UNH game on  Sunday yet so here goes..
 
SLU   1 + 0 + 0 = 1
UNH   0 + 2 + 2 = 4
 
First Period
 1:41  SLU  Laamanen (Perry, McLaughlin)
Second Period
15:42  UNH  Sullivan (Flinton, Hall)  Shorthanded
18:09  UNH  Flinton (unassisted)
Third Period
 6:52  UNH  Sullivan (Muir, Woodman)
13:42  UNH  Royal    (Nolan, Poole)
 
Saves:   SLU  Bracco 17,  Owen 10
         UNH  Heinke 33
 
Key points (with obvious SLU emphasis):
 
SLU scored early with soph center Laamanen getting his first
collegiate goal.  Nice start, but you've got to worry a bit
when your first line center has never scored a goal - especially
when your other three centers consist of two other sophs and
a freshman with a grand total of 4 career goals among them.
The assist going to freshman Derek McLaughlin occurred within his
first couple of seconds on college ice as the lines were changing.
 
Half empty or half full?  Both teams rang up 0-8 records with their
power plays, although UNH's final goal happened just as a power play
had ended.  Do we bemoan the quality of the power plays or applaud
the effectiveness of the penalty killers?
 
SLU nursed the 1-0 lead until fairly late in the second period when
UNH executed a classic 2-on-1 shorthanded break with Flinton making
the pass at just the right moment and Sullivan putting it away. The
Flinton, Sullivan, Bogunieki group played particularly well for
UNH, especially as the game went along.
 
The most critical play occurred as time was running down in the
second with the score knotted at 1-1.   SLU's Brian Kapeller rang
a wicked shot off the inside of the post and the puck went to
UNH's Flinton who went down and unloaded on SLU's goalie Jon Bracco.
Bracco made the initial save but went down in a heap with an injured
knee.  He couldn't get ambulatroy again in time as Flinton weakly
tapped at the rebound and it drifted into the net.  Bracco finished
the last minute+ of the period but was clearly hurting.  This gave
freshman Clint Owen an unexpected first appearance for the third
period.  Owen played pretty well as both UNH 3rd period scores were
very nice goals. Sullivan got his second goal by tipping a blast from
the point just under the crossbar. Royal got the final tally by
tapping in a great pass from Nolan(?) who had skated behind the net
and appeared to be going for a wrap around when he slid the puck
across the crease to Royal on the other side.
 
The brightest note for the Saints was the play of an all-freshman
line (McLaughlin, Ladouceur, DiFrancesco).  They may become a force
to be reckoned with before the season is over.  In the short run
though, SLU faces a tough starting schedule with four of their first
five games against teams from last year's NCAA tourney (UNH, Lowell,
Northeastern, and RPI) - plus Lake State at Thanksgiving and a home
and home series with Clarkson in early December.
 
Robin Lock
St. Lawrence University
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