(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 24)—The McKendree University hockey team battled into overtime late Friday night at Missouri State University, but the Bearcats were edged in the final seconds by the host Bears, 7-6.
Missouri State tied the contest with just 2:32 left in regulation, then scored the game-winner with 23 seconds left in the extra period. The Bearcats get credit for a tie in the match, moving to 7-12-4 overall and will square off against the Bears to wrap up the two-game weekend series Saturday at 3 p.m.
Five different players scored on the night for McKendree, including a pair of goals by freshman forward
Jacob Young (Arnold, MO/Fox). Senior forward
Dylan Mueth (Lebanon, IL/Wesclin ) and freshman forward
Ryan Sizer (Belleville, Ontario, Canada/Moira Secondary School) each added a goal and two assists in the effort.
In the first period, Missouri State jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Young netted his first goal of the night at the 13:18 mark of the period. Sizer tied the contest in the early stages of the second period when the Bears reclaimed a 3-2 advantage. Midway through the stanza, Young tallied again off a pass from Sizer to knot the contest again at 3-3.
Freshman defenseman
Brent Feltes (St. Louis, MO/DeSmet Jesuit) gave McKendree its first lead of the night at 4-3 with a little over five minutes remaining in the second period. Missouri State quickly tied the match and the 4-4 score spilled over into the third period. Mueth broke the deadlock with a power-play goal early in the third period before the Bears answered just over a minute later.
With just 3:24 on the clock, freshman defenseman
Steve Csanyi (Belleville, Ontario, Canada/Nicholson) scored an unassisted goal to push McKendree back in front at 6-5. The lead lasted just 52 seconds as Missouri State netted the equalizer to force overtime. The Bears then scored in the final seconds of the extra period to skate away for the victory.
Freshman
Trevor Klostermann (Highland, IL/Highland) registered 31 saves in goal in taking the loss for McKendree.
