Men's Hockey falls in penalty-filled season opener

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin Men's Hockey team dropped its season opener Friday night, falling 5-3 against Lake Forest in a game in which the penalty minutes told the story. The two teams combined for 65 minutes in the box, totaling 27 infractions between the two sides.

THE BASICS
- Final Score: Lake Forest 5, Concordia Wisconsin 3
- Location: Ozaukee Ice Center – Mequon, Wisconsin
- Records: Lake Forest 1-0-0, 1-0-0 NCHA; Concordia Wisconsin 0-1-0, 0-1-0 NCHA

HOW IT HAPPENED
- For much of the first two periods the score was tied as Lake Forest twice took a lead but the Falcons quickly answered. That was the case in the opening stanza, both teams netting power play goals, the first coming from the Foresters Jack Lewis 12:49 into the period. The Falcons Adam Fauchoux (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) answered with a power play goal of his own just 2:15 later. Sophomores Taylor Gauld (Whitby, Ontario) and Nicholas Erb (London, Ontario) assisted on the Fauchoux goal. The goal was a deflection off a shot from Erb.

- Lake Forest went up 2-1 just 4:07 into the second on Lewis second goal of the game, but CUW answered 3:55 later on a power play goal by senior David Haaf (Medicine Hat, Alberta). Sophomores Stefen Seel (Invermere, Wis.) and Connor Hogg (London, Ontario) added helpers on Haaf's equalizer.

- The Foresters were able to strike as time expired in the second as Charlie Izaguirre netted a power play goal, making the score 3-2 after two. Lake Forest built off of that momentum as Lewis finished off his hat trick with a power play goal 3:30 into the third.

- CUW battled back with the first collegiate goal off the stick of freshman Mac Ferner (Vernon, British Columbia) 6:03 into the third. Ferner's goal came in a 3-on-3 setting and was aided by freshman Dante Hahn (Victoria, British Columbia) and Haaf.

- CUW had chances to tie and got a few quality shots after pulling goaltender Jack Romanuik (Melfort, Saskatchewan) in favor of an extra skater with 1:31 remaining in the third. The Foresters were finally able to get a shot at the open net as Billy Kent converted to make the final 5-3.

- Romanuik finished with 26 saves in the opener for the Falcons. His counterpart, Billy Cooper, stopped 27 shots.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- While CUW has gone over the 39 penalty minutes plenty of times in the 10-year history of the program, the Falcons never once had more penalty minutes in a game last season. CUW totaled a season-high 33 minutes in the box in a 6-1 win over UW-Stout last year.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons and Foresters will finish off their two-game series tomorrow in Lake Forest. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.