Lumen and Jackson United hockey teams set for rematch as regular season winds down
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson – From a close game at the end of one period to a lopsided one by the end of the next, the first meeting between the Lumen Christi and Jackson United hockey teams may have had all the emotions one would expect.
But the final score left plenty to be desired.
As the second, and final, meeting of the 2016 winter approaches, both coaches involved don’t expect another four-goal difference to separate the city rivals.
“We expect this game to be much closer,” Jackson coach Andy Sinkovitz said Tuesday afternoon. “They’ve made a lot of changes the past few weeks, beaten some good teams recently. To me, this may be their biggest game of the season, and we have to be ready for that that.”
“I think the biggest difference between then and now is we’re playing for 51 minutes,” Lumen coach Mike Wartella said. “In the first game, the first and third periods were pretty even. We went through a 10-minute stretch of breakdowns in the second, and they capitalized. Those are the areas we’ve worked on since then.”
The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period in the Jan 16 meeting. But Jackson exploded for four unanswered goals in the second period and never looked back, rolling to a 6-2 victory.
Sinkovitz said the chance to sweep Lumen in a season series is all the motivation his guys need.
They have that chance Saturday at 7:30 p.m. from the Optimist Ice Arena.
“It makes the game even bigger,” he said. “That’s something we’ve never done before. That’s something they want to do, without a doubt. It’s also a great springboard into the postseason. The playoffs are less than two weeks away, and we want to be playing our best going in.”
Jackson’s been playing at a frantic pace since the season started.
Entering Friday night’s tilt against the Eastside Stars, Jackson was 18-3-1 and ranked No. 13 in Division 1.
Alex Gwinn continues to pace the offense, having scored 34 goals and 47 points so far. He’s tied for the team lead with a plus-33 as Jackson is averaging 4.72 goals per game.
On the back end, Sinkovitz hadn’t decided on a starting goalie yet, but was leaning toward senior Lucas Chapel.
Chapel is 10-3-0 on the year with a 1.65 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
He had 27 saves the first time the teams played.
The Vikings are riding a 13-game win streak and haven’t lost since Dec. 26.
“We’re a very deep team and can run three lines with more than two sets of defensemen,” Sinkovits said. “We feel we can throw anyone on the ice in any situation, and that’s a big advantage for us.”
That depth is something Lumen will have to contend with all night, although, after a rough start, the Titans have started to find their groove lately.
After starting the season 3-11-0, Lumen has gone 5-2-0 in its past seven games entering Wednesday night.
“Offense has come to life recently, and we have some guys on the defensive side of things playing much better,” Wartella said. “By itself, playing Jackson is a big game, but at this point in the season, when you’re trying to peak and make that good push, you want to be playing your best. These last few games are critical for our playoff push.”
The recent resurgence has been a complete team effort, too.
During the 5-2 stretch, Lumen has scored 45 goals while allowing just 24, but half of those came in the two losses.
The team’s leading scorer, Grant Smith (10 goals, 30 assists), has 17 points in the past seven games.
Zack Tompkins has recorded 21 of his 31 points this season the past seven games.
Sinkovits said his guys will do what they’ve done all season, try to get the puck deep, apply a steady forecheck and try to wear Lumen down.
“If we can get a goal early, I think that’d be big for us,” Sinkovits said. “We’re not really a team that gets rattled too much, and if we’re able to get a lead, we can be very tough to play against.”
The Titans will be the home team Saturday night, giving Wartella the last change.
“I think that helps if we see a line of theirs really starting to dominate,” Wartella said. “We can try to create that matchup difference. I think it’s always an advantage, especially if the puck’s in the defensive zone. But we still want to play our game. They have some depth, and they are playing some great hockey right now.”
With the playoffs set to begin Feb. 29, Wartella also know how far a solid showing against a team like Jackson could go.
“Any win at this point in the season puts you in the right mindset,” he said. “You want to be going in playing well with some good confidence. This is more than an ordinary game. It’s a great rival. These kids have all played together and against each other for a while. It’s a great chance for us.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.