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Minnesota State senior forward Zach Lehrke has been one of the most interesting stories in college hockey this past season. Two weeks before the season started, Lehrke announced his retirement from hockey, due to a rare, undiagnosed cramping condition that made playing hockey incredibly painful for him.
Lehrke hasn't been able to solve his condition, but after watching his teammates struggle through the first ten game of the season, Lehrke decided to come back to the team. The Mavericks were 4-6-0 prior to Lehrke rejoining the team, and 8-4-0 since he has come back. Lehrke has been a point-per-game player, scoring 4 goals and 8 assists in 12 games. But none of his points were prettier than the goal he scored last Saturday night against Alaska-Anchorage, when he finished off a 2-on-1 by shooting the puck between his legs.
Here's video of the goal:
Lehrke's goal was (rightfully) named the top play in the NCAA's Top 5 Plays of the Week. The irony is that despite that impressive offensive display, the Mavericks were otherwise stymied last weekend by goalie Chris Kamal and Alaska-Anchorage. The Seawolves won both games of the series by scores of 2-1 and 3-1, despite being outshot 64-26 on the weekend, which earned Kamal WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
