North Iowa downs La Crosse, 3-1

Jan 24, 2016

Kohei Sato finished with two points to lead North Iowa to a 3-1 victory over La Crosse.

North Iowa put up an impenetrable defensive front on the penalty kill, and did not allow La Crosse to score on any of its three power plays. North Iowa could not produce up to its normal offensive output. North Iowa averages 5.8 goals per game. North Iowa\’s offense rang up 39 shots on La Crosse\’s net.

North Iowa also got points from Austin Jackson, who also had one goal and one assist to lead the team in points. Quinn Fuchs also scored for North Iowa. Other players who recorded assists for North Iowa were Ryan Durant, Joe Burgmeier, Shane Bernhardson, and Brett Gravelle, who contributed one each.

La Crosse\’s penalty kill was spotless, allowing no goals on six North Iowa power plays. La Crosse\’s offense operated below its season average. La Crosse puts an average of 3.7 pucks into the net per game. La Crosse could not stay out of the penalty box, as the team accrued 36 minutes in penalties during the game.

La Crosse was led by Brady Thiering, who scored the team\’s only goal. Thiering scored 2:51 into the first period to make the score 1-0 La Crosse. Hunter Dolan picked up the assist.

North Iowa\’s David Johnson stopped 21 shots out of the 22 that he faced. North Iowa incurred 20 minutes in penalty time with five minors. Andrew Wagner made 36 saves for La Crosse on 39 shots. For La Crosse, Matt Wolter was ejected from the game.