By: Kellen Gormley
Mines Ice Hockey delivered a statement weekend, earning a two-game sweep over Northern Arizona University with a 7–3 victory on Friday night followed by an 8–2 win on Saturday.
Behind explosive offensive production and steady goaltending from Dylan Eldridge, the Orediggers controlled play from start to finish across both contests.
Game 1 – Mines 7, Northern Arizona 3
Friday, February 20
Mines jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, outshooting NAU 52–23 in a commanding performance.
The Orediggers opened the scoring at 6:21 of the first period when Nathan Cote found the back of the net, assisted by Jordan Larese and Jerry Sharpe (official roster name). Mines extended the lead at 11:08 as Harries Lloyd finished off a setup from Brady Sorrentino and Chase Ziemba.
After NAU cut into the deficit, Mines responded late in the first period with Brady Sorrentino converting off assists from Jordan Larese and Nathan Cote to make it 3–1 heading into intermission.
Sorrentino struck again in the second period on the power play, once more with Larese factoring into the scoring sequence. NAU answered with two goals to make it 4–3, but that would be as close as the visitors would get.
The third period belonged entirely to Mines.
Jordan Larese played a key role in the offensive surge, contributing on the first, fourth, and sixth goals of the night, helping swing momentum decisively in Mines' favor.
In net, Dylan Eldridge earned the win, stopping 20 of 23 shots.
Game 2 – Mines 8, Northern Arizona 2
Saturday, February 21
Saturday's rematch saw Mines elevate its special teams play, going a perfect 5-for-5 on the power play.
The Orediggers opened the scoring midway through the first period when Henry Taliaferro buried a power-play opportunity off assists from Brady Sorrentino and Jordan Larese. Minutes later, Nathan Cote added another power-play goal, again assisted by Sorrentino and Larese.
Ripken Renner gave Mines a 3–0 lead before the first intermission.
In the second period, Sorrentino scored on the power play before Scott MacDonald added another with help from Taliaferro. Cote netted his second of the night later in the frame to extend the lead to 6–1.
After NAU struck once in the third period, Mines responded with:
Eldridge was once again steady in net, stopping 26 of 28 shots to secure the sweep.
Weekend Leaders
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Nathan Cote: 4 goals (including a hat trick in Game 2)
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Brady Sorrentino: 2 goals, multiple assists across both games
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Jordan Larese: Major contributor across the weekend, involved in key scoring plays including the first, fourth, and sixth goals of Friday's win
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Dylan Eldridge: Back-to-back wins in goal
