St. Thomas Pulls Away from GVSU

SALT LAKE CITY – Sam Turner notched a hat trick along with an assist and goalie Drew Bouman made 15 saves, leading top-seeded St. Thomas to a 14-5 victory over fifth-seeded Grand Valley State in the first Division II semifinal at the 2018 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour.

The Tommies (15-1) advance to the championship game for the third straight season where they will be seeking their sixth national title. Saturday’s game starts at 11 a.m. and will be against the winner of the North Dakota State-Duluth game.

Thanks to Turner, who had two goals and an assist in the first half, St. Thomas took 6-3 lead into the break. The Tommies would take control of the game in the third with a 5-1 explosion that gave UST an 11-4 lead heading into the final frame.

Alex Vijums helped the winning effort with two goals and two assists, but it was Bouman who kept GVSU (8-5) from making any headway, turning away several bids in close.

Blake Rankin and Sam Highland each netted a pair of goals for the Lakers. Jackson Iciek made 11 saves in the losing effort.