FOND DU LAC - Marian University men's hockey (2-2-0, 1-2-0 NCHA) fell to Lake Forest 2-1 to open a home-and-home NCHA series.

The Foresters were able to strike first scoring just 2:29 into the game off of a breakaway opportunity.  Marian dominated most of the period outshooting the Foresters 16-5 but were unable to find the back of the net.

The Sabres were able to finally breakthrough at the 7:21 mark of the second period when sophomore Gianni Vitali slid a shot inside the left post for his second goal of the year.  Fellow sophomore Yuri Chernichko fed Vitali in the slot to earn an assist.  Lake Forest was able to retake the lead shortly after at the 11:40 mark.

Marian was able to gain momentum at the end of the second period staving off a 5-on-3 opportunity to limit their deficit to 2-1.  The final period saw each squad limiting shots as Marian led 6-3.  Neither team was able to light the lamp despite the Sabres playing the final 3:14 with an empty net.

The Sabres finished with a 34-17 advantage in shots led by freshman Ty Enns who had a game-high six shots.  Senior Hunter Vorva (1-2-0) made 15 stops, eight in the second period, in a tough-luck defeat.

Marian concludes their series with LFC tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 16, at Lake Forest for a 7 p.m. puck drop.