(FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill., Feb. 12)—The McKendree University hockey team led 6-3 early in the third period, but could not hold on as Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Gold) rallied for a 7-6 overtime win Friday evening at the U.S. Ice Sports Complex in Fairview Heights.
The Bearcats saw their seven-game win streak come to an end with the loss. McKendree slips to 14-8 overall and will close out the 2009-10 regular-season Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. with another home contest against SIU-Edwardsville (Gold).
Sophomore wing J. David Coleman (Budapest, Hungary/Fort Zumwalt West) (Greenville, Ill./Fort Zumwalt West) had a big night for McKendree with two goals and two assists. Graduate defenseman Brooks Boeschen (Belleville, Ill./Belleville East) (Belleville, Ill./Belleville East) had two assists in the contest for the Bearcats.
The visiting Cougars jumped out to a 1-0 lead before senior center Charlie Donze (Fairview Heights, Ill./Althoff Catholic) (Fairview Heights, Ill./Althoff Catholic) tied the contest with a power-play goal. Coleman, who assisted on Donze's tally, gave McKendree a 2-1 lead off a pass from Boeschen early in the second period. Junior defenseman Kyle Clark (Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) made it 3-1 a minute later.
After SIU-Edwardsville tied the game at 3-3, McKendree erupted for three unanswered goals to establish its 6-3 advantage. First, sophomore wing Jordan Donze (Fairview Heights, Ill./Althoff Catholic) (Fairview Heights, Ill./Althoff Catholic) pushed the Bearcats back in front on a power-play goal with 3:53 left in the second. In the first five minutes of the second half, Coleman and junior wing Nick Smothers (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) netted unassisted goals to cap the flurry for McKendree.
But SIU-Edwardsville rallied, tying the contest with three goals, the last coming with 4:24 left in regulation. The Cougars' John Wright scored the game-winner midway through the overtime period.
Senior Mike Stier (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) made 47 saves in goal for the Bearcats.
-McK-
