The first period began with a physical start, with both teams throwing the body around halfway through the period; the Eagles were assessed a roughing penalty, putting the Lakers on the power play. Within 30 seconds of the power play, senior forward Grayslake North Riley Parpan found the puck in the slot and ripped it home, putting the Lakers up 1-0 through the rest of the first period.
As the second period was underway early on, the Eagles found a break, but the Leyden player was hit hard, leading to a 10-minute penalty against the Lakers. This would change nothing for the Lakers, as they played the penalty kill well, allowing little to no shots on goal. After the first two minutes of the penalty had expired, senior forward Antioch Sam Hanes found himself in the right place at the right time; Hanes tipped the puck into the net, giving the Lakers a 2-0 lead.
Shortly after, the Lakers’ offense would strike again; this time, Antioch junior Will Karasek found himself on a partial breakaway. Karasek would put the puck straight into the back of the net, giving the Lakers a 3-0 lead. The 10-minute penalty had now expired, and Parpan exploded with a goal, followed by Antioch junior Keith Watkins, who scored as he was falling. Towards the end of the second period, Parpan would strike again, making the score 6-0 and securing the hat trick.
Once the ice resurfaced for the third, the Lakers’ offense slowed down. But not before forward Grayslake North senior Max Bouma would find himself alone on a breakaway where he would make the game 7-1. However, one goal slipped by goaltender Lakes senior Joey Rivas, taking away his shutout. The game would start to take a rough turn as the Eagles started to focus on playing the body and not the puck. Due to the Lakers leading the league in penalty minutes, they stayed away and kept playing their game, avoiding more penalties and possible suspensions.
The Lakers would play a physical and effective game, leading to their dominating win over the Leyden Eagles. The Lakers would outshoot the Eagles 25 to 18 and only have six penalties compared to the eight penalties that the Eagles would have. The Lakers look to continue success this Sunday as Zion Benton senior Sebastian Philips returns from his suspension just in time to take on Warren.
