(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 30)—Junior center Charlie Donze (Fairview Heights, Ill./Althoff Catholic) (Fairview Heights, Ill./Althoff Catholic) registered a hat trick to lead the McKendree University hockey team to a 5-3 victory Friday night at home against Missouri State University.

Junior wing Nick Smothers (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) and senior wing Ryan Haeffele (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) also scored to give the Bearcats their fifth win in six matches. McKendree moves to 15-5 on the year and will host Missouri State to wrap up a two-game weekend set Saturday at 3 p.m.

Missouri State jumped out to a 1-0 lead before Donze scored the first of his three goals to even the contest at 1-1. Smothers tallied his goal midway through the period to push the Bearcats in front. In the second period, Donze gave McKendree a two-goal advantage before the Ice Bears pulled within a goal.

Haeffele netted a short-handed, unassisted goal to give McKendree a 4-2 lead before Donze completed his hat trick with just nine seconds left in the period.

Junior Mike Stier (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) stopped 37 shots to earn the victory in goal for McKendree.

-McK-