Vikings finish Senior Night in Style
It was Senior Night for nine graduating players and the Francis Howell Vikings finished it off with an exclamation point, defeating Liberty 4-1.
Meeting for the second time this season, Howell was looking to sweep the regular season matchup and Senior Danny Del Vecchio got things started in the second period, hammering home a rebound with 11:24 left in the second period, his sixth goal of the season , the first of two Viking power play goals. Del Vecchio was assisted by fellow Senior Keanean Bahm and Junior Michael Land.
Howell found itself on the power play just 2:30 later and Junior Will Peterson found the back of the net with his third goal of the season, the game winning goal, assisted Michael Land.
The third period saw the Vikings add two more to their total. Junior Alex Griffith netted his second goal of the season just :47 seconds into the period, assisted by Freshman Mason Land and Bahm and it was 3-0 Howell.
Junior Charlie Jackson scored his sixth goal of the season with just 1:19 left in the game, assisted by Junior Brayden Brandhorst and Peterson making the score 4-0 and the Vikings looked like they were headed for a shutout.
Liberty tallied their only goal of the game, however, with just :03 left in the contest, making the final score 4-1 Francis Howell. Senior goaltenders Jack Finch and Easton Bristow split time in the contest, combining to turn away 16 of the 17 attempts they faced.
The Vikings (11-3-0) get a break from the regular season schedule, not returning to the ice until Jan. 2, 2026 when they will take on Fort Zumwalt East (6-5-2) at the Rec Plex for 7:45 game.
Francis Howell will, however, be in action on Dec 26 when they play cross-district rival Francis Howell Central in the 7th Annual Memorial Cup game at 7:30 pm. The game will follow an alumni contest between the two schools that begins at 6 pm. Admission for the night is just $5 and all proceeds, including a 50/50 raffle and other prizes, go to fund the Adam Litteken and Jim Meece scholarships.