DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque men's hockey team kept their postseason hopes alive by defeating Lawrence University 3-1 on Saturday night. The Spartans ran away with an early lead and never relented in the decisive victory.

Five minutes in, the Spartans forced pressure on the Lawrence defense, and Nolan Underwood took a shot at close range that bounced off the goalie into the net, giving the Spartans an early 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, senior Nikita Borodaenko slid a puck past a diving Vikings goalie which extended the lead. The Spartans entered the locker room up 2-0 after 20 minutes. The Spartans struck immediately out of the break, as Jack Paweski found the net on a power-play from long-range, giving the Spartans a 3-0 lead. The Vikings scored their own power-play goal with three minutes remaining, cutting their deficit to two. Despite three power-plays, the third period was relatively quiet, and the match ended 3-1 in favor of the Spartans.

Both teams combined for 13 penalties in the contest, with one penalty being a five-minute major. While the other 12 were two-minute minor penalties, Lawrence's goalie was charged with two different penalties during the contest.

Borodaenko scored once on three shots and won six face-offs on Saturday. Underwood tallied a goal and an assist and won 13 face-offs. Paweski took six shots, leading the Spartans, and scored on one of them. Andon Coles added two assists to his season total, while Brandon Rossetti, Kaden Dundas, and Zach Cline were each credited with one. Prestyn Carter spent sixty minutes in goal, tallying 21 saves on 22 attempts.

Up Next

The Spartans and Vikings will face off in the series finale on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in ImOn Arena.