(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 24)—For the second time in as many days, the McKendree University hockey team was defeated at Missouri State University by a score of 7-6 on Saturday afternoon in Springfield, Mo.
 
Unlike Friday night's game, which was decided in overtime, the Saturday contest ended in regulation as the host Bears scored the eventual game-winning goal with a little more than three minutes to play. The Bearcats move to 7-13-4 on the season and will be on the road next weekend to close out the regular season against Aurora University. The teams will tangle on Friday at 6:30 p.m. before facing off next Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
 
In Saturday's contest at Missouri State, McKendree rallied from a 6-2 deficit to tie the game with four unanswered goals spanning the second and third periods. However, Missouri State scored the final goal with 3:14 on the clock to complete the weekend sweep of the Bearcats.
 
Freshman defenseman Steve Csanyi (Belleville, Ontario, Canada/Nicholson) scored twice for McKendree, while freshman forward Ryan Sizer (Belleville, Ontario, Canada/Moira Secondary School) chipped in with a goal and two assists. Freshman defenseman Zach Loehr (Glen Carbon, IL/Edwardsville) and freshman forward Garrett Kellam (St. Joseph, MO/Central) each helped out with a goal and assist for the Bearcats.
 
Missouri State raced to a 4-0 lead midway through the first period before McKendree broke into the scoring column. Csanyi found the back of the net with just over a minute remaining in the first period to trim the Bearcats' deficit to 4-1. Loehr scored in the early stages of the second period to help McKendree pull within 4-2 before the Bears regained a four-goal lead at 6-2 with 8:47 left in the stanza.
 
Sizer began the Bearcats' comeback at the 7:34 mark of the second period off a pass from Kellam. Just over a minute later, senior forward Dylan Mueth (Lebanon, IL/Wesclin ) scored with the assist going to Sizer, bringing the Bearcats within 6-4. After Csanyi scored on the power play in the closing minutes of the second period, Kellam tied the contest at 6-6 thanks to an even-strength tally with 14:39 to play.
 
The score remained tied until the Bears scored the game-winner at even strength with 3:14 on the clock. Freshmen Trevor Klostermann (Highland, IL/Highland) and Chris Stier (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) split time in goal for McKendree, with Klostermann suffering the loss.