Route 11 Rivalry Sweep

Last weekend was a big one for St. Lawrence Men’s Hockey. The annual Route 11 Rivalry games between St Lawrence and Clarkson brought out a total of 5,373 fans between the Friday and Saturday games, and a total of two victories in the winning column for the Saints. 

It had been a tumultuous start to the season for St. Lawrence as they were without a conference win going into the Friday contest in Potsdam. They opened the doors early with a first-period goal from Sam Ledrew ’29. The second period was busy as each team put three in the back of the net. Clarkson evened things up in the third period, setting up a high-stakes shootout. St. Lawrence’s Isaac Tremblay ’28 converted the only successful attempt from either team, propelling them to the narrow victory on the road. 

The Saints rode the wave of that victory onto their home ice. The raucous Clarkson pep band was no match for the Appleton faithful. Jon Duraj and Kate Morris handed out boxes of Sergi’s pizza. Aaron Todd ’00 and Connor Simons ’28 were there with Stewarts Shops, handing out bowls of the brand-new Pub Cookie Crunch ice cream flavor. 

Students packed the house for these festivities as the Saints trounced the Golden Knights 5-2. SLU’s three goals in the first period set the tone, and they did not look back. It was a chippy game filled with sparring and a handful of jersey grabs, all of which pointed out how strongly these two teams do not like each other. A fan in the first row at Appleton said it was best. “This rivalry isn’t going anywhere.” 

As the Saints look to turn their season around, these two wins indicate that their best hockey is yet to come. All 12 teams make up the ECAC postseason tournament, so even if they are down, they will not be out.