Original Article

ST. PETERS — Lafayette hockey coach Jim Carrico has his top goal scorer Justin Sprague on the penalty kill for a reason.

“He has a real long reach so he can create a lot of breakaways,” Carrico said.

That strategy played to perfection Friday.

Sprague’s short-handed breakaway goal helped Lafayette to a 6-3 win over previously unbeaten Francis Howell in game one of the Mid-States Club Hockey Association Challenge Cup quarterfinal series at St. Peters Rec-Plex. Game two is scheduled for 7:50 p.m. Monday at Maryville Hockey Center, and Francis Howell needs a victory to force a deciding mini game.

Sprague’s short-handed tally was something out of a goal scorer’s dream. He picked off a Howell pass at the Lancers’ blue line to create a clean breakaway, then went backhand to forehand to give Lafayette a 5-2 lead.

“My job when we're on the penalty kill off a faceoff is to get to that top guy because they're looking to get it to the guy that's right on the blue line for a shot,” Sprague said. “That’s where I go every time, and I was able to be there and intercept the pass, and with my speed I got the space I needed to to make my move.”

The goal derailed Howell as it was gaining momentum. The Vikings had just cut the deficit to 4-2 and had the man advantage.

“It was a battle all night long, we knew it was going to be this way, nothing was going to be easy,” Carrico said. “And again, we just kept battling and we got the lucky break there.”

Sprague finished with two goals and an assist, Andrew Knapp and Jack Thomas each had a goal and assist, and Luke Carrico and Luke Hansen also scored for Lafayette (11-6-3). Shane Robinson had a pair of assists, while Konner Canova made 19 saves.

Tanner Wyatt, Ethan Ormson and Trey Grzybinski scored for Howell (17-1-1). Stephen Tiemeyer Jr. made 21 saves.

“It was tough,” Howell coach Larry Bumb said of Sprague's short-handed goal. “I'm thinking right there 4-2, we get it to within one there and if we hold it that way into late in the game, we have a chance to pull the goalie and go on the power play again. That really took a lot of wind out of our sails.”

Knapp gave Lafayette the lead just 2 minutes and 17 seconds into the contest with a quick shot after a Thomas pass set him up in the slot.

Luke Carrico made it 2-0 for Lafayette midway through the second period, tipping in a rebound off a Sprague shot.

Thomas extended the Lancers’ lead, burying a perfectly executed two-on-one break with Robinson with 4:45 left in the second.

“We turned it up real quick,” Thomas said. “Shane hit me backdoor and the goalie slid and I just hit him short side.”

Wyatt got Howell on the scoreboard late in the second by deflecting a Hayden Schreck slap shot from the high slot.

Sprague buried a rebound off a Robinson shot early in the third period. The power-play goal made it 3-1 for Lafayette.

Howell answered 25 seconds later on an Ormson one-timer from a pretty feed by Isaac Cooper.

Lafayette killed off all six penalties it took.

“We've got to do a better job of staying on the penalty box,” Jim Carrico said. “You can't give the team like Francis Howell that many chances, they got so many skilled players.”

Howell will be without one of its top skilled players as Ethan Degroat tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. Degroat was the Vikings’ leading scorer in the regular season with 15 goals and 18 assists.

Bumb called Degroat’s loss “a bad kick in the teeth” but said his team knows what it must do Monday.

“We don't have give up in us, all we have to do is win that game and force a mini game,” Bumb said. “We knew we're going to have a battle.”