Mt. Pleasant, Mich. – The start of the season for the AQ Men's DI Hockey team has not been easy. It hasn't seen much success, and the path has had its share of troubled waters. Yet through the ups and downs, Head Coach Brandon Rozema has never wavered in his belief that his vision will lead this program in the right direction. Following the team's first win last weekend, the next goal was clear — build a winning streak. The Saints took that mindset on the road Saturday night to Mt. Pleasant, and the result was precisely what Rozema had been preaching — a complete team effort and another strong step forward for the program.

Aquinas 7, CMU 0

The scoring opened midway through the second period when Zachary Burns put the Saints ahead off an assist from Easton Pratt. Less than three minutes later, Alex Johnson doubled the lead on a setup from Austin Plumert, and Logan Boettcher made it 3–0 with help from Nick Dashner before the break. The onslaught continued in the third, as Xavier Erickson tallied twice — the first on a power play assisted by Arseniy Malyutin and Johnson, and the second on an even-strength finish from Johnson and Brendan Bourne. Braylen Outwater and Johnson capped off the scoring barrage late in the frame, with Bourne and Malyutin collecting additional helpers. Between the pipes, Jean Berthaudin was flawless, stopping all 18 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season. The eventual game-winning goal came at the 13:36 mark of the second period, courtesy of Burns' wrister from the slot that found the top corner.

Inside the Numbers
     • 7 different Saints recorded a point in the win
     • Alex Johnson led AQ with 2 goals and 2 assists
     • Xavier Erickson added a pair of tallies and one power-play marker
     • Goalie Jean Berthaudin recorded 18 saves for the shutout

Coach's Comments
Head Coach Brandon Rozema spoke about how his squad was able to stay the course through early-season adversity:
"This group has shown incredible character. Even when results weren't going our way, they never stopped believing in the process. Tonight was a reward for their commitment and effort — now the challenge is to keep building and make this the standard for how we play every night."

Up Next
The Saints will return to the South Side Ice Arena on Saturday, November 1, when they finish off the home-and-home with CMU. That game will be streamed on the AQ Athletic Network with Joey Sutherlin providing the play-by-play. Be sure to check out AQSaints.com for information, stats, and a recap of all the action.