Category | Sports

Ice hockey wins first national championship

Published on March 13, 2007 by The Sentinel

    The KSU Ice Hockey team won the Division III
National Championship March 3 in Fort Wayne, Ind., after defeating the
State University of New York at Albany, 5-1, in the championship game.
The championship is the first for the hockey team and it was only the
second time that a team from the South has won it all. To get to the
finals, the Owls defeated the College of the Canyons 12-3 in the first
round, Calvin College 5-2 in the second round, and Hope College, 5-0,
in the semifinals.

    FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The KSU hockey team brought home
the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III National
Championship March 3.

    The Owls traveled north to compete in the national
championship against 16 of the top teams in the nation. The Owls
entered the tournament ranked No. 2 from the South division.

    KSU faced the No. 3 seed from the Pacific region,
the College of the Canyons. The Cougars didn’t stand a chance as the
Owls manhandled them, 12-3.

    With the victory under the Owls’ belts, their next
game matched them against the No. 4 team from the North division,
Calvin College.

    Although Calvin was ranked No. 4, the Knights were
on a hot streak, winning the last five games of their regular season.

    The Knights were noticeably larger than the Owls,
but the Owls had the quickness to skate pass the Knights, winning 5-2.

    The Owls then found themselves facing the No. 1 team
from the North Division, Hope College, who were heavily favored to win
the championship coming into the tournament.

    The underdog role didn’t phase the Owls as Ricky
Lirette put a shot in the back of the net within the first minute of
the game.

    Goalie Steve Hartley stopped all 22 shots from the Flying Dutchmen in the first period.

    “Once we got out of that first period against what
was considered the number one team in the tournament, that was big,”
said head coach Matt Hogan.

    The second period was much like the first as the
Flying Dutchmen poured on a heavy offensive attack in attempts to tie
the game.

    However, the Owls had other plans, eliminating the attack  with aggressive fore checking. 

    Jerry Holden was able to capitalize on a power play
for the Owls midway through the second period, giving the Owls a 2-0
lead heading into the final period.

    Scoring three more power play goals in the third
period for the Owls were  Dylan Morrison, Chris Koutnik and Rod
Johnson to give the Owls a 5-0 semifinals victory.

    The win allowed the Owls to advance to the National
Championship against the State University of New York at Albany, the
No. 2 seed from the Atlantic Division.

    Both teams had a slow.

    However, the Owls got on the scoreboard first midway
through the first period when Lirette put a shot in the net.

    With the lead in the Owls’ hands, they would never look back.

    The Owls had control of the puck the majority of the game, and scored four more goals on the Danes.

    Lirette scored two more goals to complete the hat
trick, while  Holden and Dylan Morrison added one goal each.

    The Danes were able to score one goal with just a
few minutes remaining in the third period, breaking up Hartley’s second
shut out of the tournament.

    With a 5-1 victory, the Owls secured the ACHA Division III National Championship.

    “It is a great accomplishment for the guys on the
team,” Hogan said. “Seeing their hard work and dedication win
themselves a National Championship is a great honor.”

    Hartley was named Tournament MVP after allowing just
three goals during the tournament and posting a 0.86 goals against
average. He also had an assist and one shutout. 

   “We played a very solid team game,” Hartley said. “I came
away with the MVP, but the guys playing in front of me made it easy.”

    Curtis Morrison and Jerry Holden were named to the All-Tournament team.

    “It is a great honor,” Morrison said, “but I was
there to win the championship, not to exceed on an individual level.”

    The Owls captured the National Championship within
their first five years of existence. It is also the first National
Championship for the South division since the inaugural season in 1992.

    “It has been a long road, with lots of ups and
downs,” said team president Ryan Falvai. “I am really proud of all the
guys on the team that sacrificed and came together to bring home the
National Championship. Winning this championship has made all the hard
work and effort of starting this team worth while.”

Photo by Frank Matcha | Studio Industry International LLC
Ricky Lirette brings the puck up ice during a game at the American
Collegiate Hockey Association Division III National Championship.

Photo by Frank Matcha | Studio Industry International LLC
KSU forward Ryan Kovac puts a shot on goal.