LAKE FOREST, Ill.— The Lake Forest Scouts varsity hockey team’s season has not gotten off to the start that they anticipated. As I’ve mentioned in prior articles, the Scouts haven’t won a game since October 25, but oddly enough, their winless stretch has featured more ties than losses. Wednesday night, Lake Forest was looking to put that streak to rest by defeating the D155 Prairie Ridge Predators on their home ice. The Scouts had the lead in the game for just under 15 minutes, then coughed up two straight goals in under a minute, allowing D155 to seize momentum and eventually tie the Scouts at Lake Forest College.
After an exciting first period where the Scouts created some scoring chances while also limiting D155 on defense, Lake Forest was ready to break the tie in the following period. With 7:41 remaining in the second, the Scouts finally got what they were looking for. Junior forward Griffin Slobodnik put the puck passed D155 goaltender Seth Frankowski on a top shelf backhander that electrified Lake Forest’s immense student section. With a 1-0 lead, the Scouts and the Predators traded possessions and scoring chances, but when the horned sounded signifying the end of the period, Lake Forest still maintained their one goal lead. All they had to do to get their first win since October was hold off the D155 offense one more period. The Predators, however, had other plans.
The D155 Prairie Ridge Predators’ first scoring chance came with 12:16 remaining in final period. Sophomore forward Benjamin Letto managed to get the puck past the Scouts goaltender sending him into a celebration, but seconds later the referees waved off the goal because net had moved out of place before Letto took the shot. Therefore, the Scouts still maintained their one goal lead, but not for long. About three minutes later, the Predators were on the move once again. Letto was able to get another open shot right in front of the Scouts’ goalie and once again put it in the back of the net. This time it counted. The D155 Predators had tied the game and, with momentum on their side, D155 was looking to take control of the game. Less than a minute later, Dylan Poulin scored to give the Predators the lead. Not to be outdone, senior defensemen Brendan Manfred quickly sparked some hope into the Lake Forest faithful with a one-timer answer just over a minute later. With close to seven minutes left to play, the Scouts had time to prevent another tie. They created a couple chances, but couldn’t get anything by Frankowski, who was determined to keep the game knotted at two. The game ended as yet another tie, which is now their 5th of the season.
If you go back to the Scouts hockey game against Loyola in their last contest, you may recall that the Ramblers scored three goals in under a minute. Wednesday night, the Scouts gave up two goals in under a minute. If Lake Forest wants to begin some winning ways, they need to put it behind them when their opponent scores, pick each other up, and move on.
Lake Forest had their number. Ask any hockey player. This game shouldn’t have ended in a tie. The Scouts will practice, make some changes, then will play (4-2-2) Lane Tech on the road on Saturday. This will not be one of their easier match-ups, but you can be sure that this team is determined, and will do anything they can to get back on the winning track.
