Both teams were back in action this weekend, as the D2 Lions played at CSUN and hosted Colorado Boulder, and the D3 team played at Long Beach.
On Friday, the D2 Lions headed to Simi Valley to take on CSUN for the first time this year. The teams will eventually play three times, but this is the first time the Lions have faced CSUN since they were promoted back to Tier 1 in the WCHC. CSUN jumped on mistakes from the Lions in the first, earning 5 odd man rushes but John Profaci was there every time with the save. The Lions finally broke the logjam with Kaczmarek firing home a puck from the point on the power play. In the second the Lions controlled play, and Kaczmarek scored two more, netting the Natural Hat Trick, and giving the Lions a 3-0 lead. The third, though, was a wild story, as penalty after penalty went on the board. A large portion of the period was played 3 against 3, and CSUN capitalized on the chaos, scoring 3 goals in 4 minutes. But the Lions also found the net, as MacGillivray poked home a rebound and gave the Lions a 4-3 lead. The penalties continued, and the Lions held off a final push from CSUN, securing the 4-3 win, and WCHC points.
On Saturday the Lions hosted Colorado Boulder, who had played CSUN and UCLA on the trip previously. The Lions got down early, as Boulder scored just 18 seconds into the game. The Lions tied it right up though, Joe Kurita found the net for his first goal of the season on the Power Play. Boulder would finish the period with 2 more goals, leading 3-1. The Lions came out flying in the second, scoring three goals, and taking the 4-3 lead. Skenderian, MacGillivray and Sedlmayer scored and the Lions kept up the pressure, but Colorado would push back and score two more, and the Lions trailed 5-4 after a high scoring second. In the third, the Lions came out flying again, Kaczmarek, Hawthorne and MacGillivray would score over the first 6 minutes, giving the Lions a 7-5 lead. The Lions kept Colorado at bay, but the Buffalos were able to find the net with a minute to play, cutting the lead to one. The final minute the was exciting, Colorado hit the post, but the Lions cleared the puck and time ran out. The D2 Lions beat Colorado 7-6, and move to 8-3 on the season, and have won 5 straight games.
Later on Saturday, the D3 Lions headed to Long Beach to take on the 49er’s for the first time this season. The Lions came out strong, as McMillan came flying out of the gate, scoring 30 seconds into the game. Freedman would score his first of the game halfway through the first, and the Lions led 2-0. Long Beach was able to come back with one before the buzzer and the Lions led 2-1 after 1. In the second, Long Beach would score twice and take the lead 3-2, but McMillan struck again and the Lions would finish the 2nd tied 3-3. In the third the Lions played a strong period, finally striking with 6 minutes to go, as Dylan Slaysman found the puck on the back post and fired it home. The Lions held the line as the minutes ticked by, but Long Beach fired the puck into the net with 20 seconds to play, deflating the Lions. After a conference, the refs waved off the goal for goalie interference, and off the next face off Freedman scored his second of the game, firing the puck into the empty net. The D3 Lions won the game 5-3, and moved to 4-1 on the year,