The Aurora University men's hockey team returned to Fox Valley Ice Arena on Saturday night for Game Two of the Northern Collegiatee Hockey Association Playoffs, looking to complete the sweep over Lawrence University. The Spartans came out strong, building an early two-goal lead in the first period. Despite a push from the Vikings in the second, goaltender JaCob Mucitelli  stood tall, making 25 saves to keep Aurora in control. Landry Schmuck's 30th goal of the season proved to be the game-winner in a 4-2 victory, while Juliano Santalucia sealed the win in the final seconds, sending the Spartans into the next round.

FINAL SCORE: #2 Aurora University 4, Lawrence University 2
LOCATION: Fox Valley Ice Arena - Geneva, Illinois
RECORDS: #2 Aurora University 23-3-1 overall and 15-2-1 NCHA; Lawrence University 7-18-2 overall and 6-11-1 NCHA


- The Spartans wasted no time establishing control, striking just minutes into the game. Jakson Kirk opened the scoring at 2:54 with a power-play goal, assisted by Jacob Brockman and Juliano Santalucia.
- Aurora kept the momentum rolling, doubling their lead at 6:17 when John Hallard finished off a setup from Lukas Sedlacek, giving the Spartans a 2-0 advantage heading into the second period.
- The middle frame saw an increase in physical play, resulting in a flurry of penalties. Lawrence took advantage of a power play at 7:53, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
-  Aurora's penalty kill stood firm, successfully fending off two more Viking power plays, including a cross-checking call at 9:25 and an interference penalty at 15:03, keeping the lead.
- The Spartans responded in the third period with another power-play strike. At 8:41, Landry Schmuck netted his 30th goal of the season, the eventual game-winner, off assists from Hassan Akl and Simon Diaz, pushing the lead to 3-1.
- The Vikings made a final push late in the game, pulling their goaltender and scoring with an extra attacker at 18:38 to pull within one.
- Juliano Santalucia sealed the victory in the final seconds, stealing the puck behind the Vikings net and burying an empty-net goal with 10 seconds remaining.
- Goaltender JaCob Mucitelli was solid between the pipes for Aurora, making 25 saves in the win.


POINTS: Juliano Santalucia (2) Jakson Kirk, Landry Schmuck, John Hallard, Lukas Sedlacek, Hassan Akl, Simon Diaz, and Jacob Brockman (1)
GOALS: Landry Schmuck, Jakson Kirk, John Hallard, and Juliano Santalucia (1)
ASSISTS: Juliano Santalucia, Jacob Brockman, Simon Diaz, Lukas Sedlacek, Hassan Akl (1)
SAVES: JaCob Mucitelli (25)


Next scheduled action for the Spartan men's hockey team comes on Saturday, March 1 when they host Adrian College in the semifinals of the Harris Cup Playoffs. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Fox Valley Ice Arena.