CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Midland University hit the road for the first time in 2021 as they traveled to the St. Louis metro area for a two-game series with Maryville University over the weekend. The Warriors took game one by a score of 4-2 on Friday night before falling 5-1 on Saturday.
Both games saw the Warriors stay out of the penalty box for the most part. In Friday’s game, they were sent to the sin bin only twice while their counterparts saw only one infraction. The full lineup aided the Warriors’ attack as they scored four goals on 35 shots on net.
Kolten Wright got things going in the first as he deposited the puck past the Saints’ keeper after a pass from Ondrej Blaha and Ryan Donovan. After a pair of Maryville goals, Blaha would go on a personal three-goal run to close out the scoring and complete his first collegiate hat trick.
He scored his first at the 6:22 mark to even the score at 2-2 off a pass from Wright. Three minutes later he found the back of the net once again, this time unassisted. That would prove to be the game-winning goal as the team played the next 30 minutes without a score. Blaha’s third goal of the night came with just 58 seconds on the clock with an empty net to seal the Warriors’ fifth win of the season.
Angus Laing played all 60 minutes in net for Midland, saving 26 shots while allowing a pair of goals.
On Saturday the Warriors saw their clean sheet and vacancy in the penalty box come to an end. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period they accumulated six penalties in the second and fell down 4-0 on the scoreboard.
With 3:11 left in the period, a scuffle broke out in front of the Maryville net. That led to three offsetting roughing calls for both teams with the Warriors’ top lines taking a big hit. During that stretch, the Saints put two more goals on the scoreboard, solidifying their lead 4-0.
Midland would get a goal back in the third as Ben Bergman scored his first goal of the season with 11:28 left in the game. That would be the extent of the Warriors’ offense as they fell 5-1
Laing once again was in net for Midland, going the distance. He saw 35 shots and made 30 saves on the night.
Midland (5-5) will be on the road once again this upcoming weekend as they travel to Minot, North Dakota to take on Minot State (9-3). Games are slated for Friday and Saturday at Maysa Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. on Friday and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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