Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

For the AIC Yellow Jackets, the first period did not start how they wanted. Lindenwood came out as Head Coach Eric Lang said and played well in transition to get a shorthanded goal. They got their first of the weekend and lead 1-0 after the first period. The Lions played a determined game all night and would add more shorthanded tallies to their goals to finish with three on the night. Despite being under heavy duress, Matt Ladd played a sound game in net for the Lions and kept them in it all night. The Yellow Jackets’ only five-on-five goal came mere moments after a Lindenwood major had expired. The Lions, in the first period and throughout the game showed why they cannot be taken lightly by anyone this year.

Then we get to the second period. Blake Bennett scored the first of four power play goals with a superb one timer from the face-off dot, followed by Brett Callahan putting his stick on the ice and finding the puck to deposit into an open net.

The third period featured multiple AIC goals including tallies by Oscar Geshwind and Brian Kramer to get the final score. The Yellow Jackets again benefited from hockey operations director Nielsson Arcibal looking at a play for further review. Far away from the play, a lion cross checked a Yellow Jacket and that earned a review and a challenge. Arcibal was right and the Yellow Jackets earned a power play and changed the course of the game. They put home the final two goals including stellar play throughout from Oscar Geshwind and Brian Kramer in the effort to get us to the final score.

Assistant Coach Brendan Riley talked through the power play in saying on the unit he runs, that Head Coach Eric Lang made the change. “Langer made the change , which was Callahan for Lakoduk on the left flank. I think maybe part of it was giving up the short handed goals or Brett’s actually had some power play time for us earlier this year, so yeah, it worked out luckily.” Three defenders on the power play worked for AIC. They scored and kept going. Head Coach Eric Lang does not like keeping his timeout until the end, and will always use his team’s advice to challenge on head safety calls when needed.

As for the skaters, AIC forward Oscar Geschwind was direct. He came to AIC for a restart in his college career and got some today and has been a big part of things for Lang’s group.

As Oscar said “the main one was like talking to the coaching staff here ( and I told them that)“, I kind of wanted tto restart my college career. But yes, the main reason they provide a good opportunity for me here so this one.” Geshwind has been a welcome source of offense for the Yellow Jackets and provides a veteran presence in the forward ranks. He scored the fifth goal on the day and put home his fourth of the season.

As for the defense, Brian Kramer played a big role in the game and focused on the mindset of the team saying of the night. “no, it’s just the mindset. It’s, you know, we have got to believe that we can do it. When execute our game plan. (We Believe that) nobody in the country can beat us.” Now this group has some work to do. They get ready to travel to West Point to face a very talented Army West Point side looking for its first win of any sort this year. AIC saw what a young team can do this weekend, and knows that in transition, if they don’t get to what they do well, the physical part of their game and cycling against an Army side that needs points, then Friday in West Point could bring trouble. They have time to review and get better. Today they, like Geshwind in coming to AIC, got a restart game to work things out before heading back into the always treacherous Atlantic Hockey schedule.

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