Perruzzi expected the hard work to turn into wins. Others might not have. He encouraged belief among a team that had 25 players in 2021 and couldn’t even scrimmage against itself. The roster’s up to 41 now, and the depth has improved.
That depth was on display against Seton Hill. Every single attackman scored a goal, and every player on the first or second midline scored, too. By simply taking what the defense offered, Lewis left Greensburg, Pa., with a 14-13 win by scoring the final two goals of the game — the dagger coming when Baden Boyenko assisted Drew Kask in a man-up situation. Nolan Dalep led the Flyers with three goals.
“The reason we beat Seton Hill is because we followed our game plan, and we did it to a ‘T.’ We didn’t always do that in Year 1 and Year 2,” Perruzzi said. “We’re trying to act like we’ve been here before, but the truth is, we haven’t.”
Next up is a home date against Wheeling, and after seemingly flying under the radar since Perruzzi was named head coach in 2018, Lewis is an unknown no more.
“We’re seeing a shift at all levels of what Midwest kids can do now that there’s elite coaching,” he said. “We’re not just athletes anymore. We’re athletes that can play ball.”
UINDY UPSETS LENOIR-RHYNE
There was another Division II upset last weekend, and although it’s much less surprising than Lewis’ emergence, it was notable all the same.
No. 8 UIndy took a late two-goal lead and withstood a goal from No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne with a minute to play, hanging on for a 12-11 win on the road. Drew Billig led all players with six points (two goals, four assists), and Ben Foster scored four times with one assist.
Billig assisted Foster with 1:09 remaining for a 12-10 lead before Mitchell Linklater scored nine seconds later for LRU. Caleb Parker won the ensuing faceoff for the Greyhounds, who opened their season with a statement.