(PEORIA, Ill., Nov. 5) – The McKendree University men's D2 hockey team defeated Bradley University on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 7-3 to complete the series sweep.
 
With the two wins the Bearcats improve their record to 9-3. The Braves dropped two games to the Bearcats with a record of 1-5 against ACHA D2 teams and are now 8-6 overall.
 
McKendree scored early and often to take a lead, which would not be contested. Freshman forward Levi Armstrong (Urbana, IL/Urbana HS) opened the scoring for the Bearcats on a pass from senior defenseman Ty Watt (Barrie, Ontario, Canada). Just four minutes later the Bearcats struck again, when freshman forward Dominic Naas (Neurensdorf, Zurich, Switzerland/KV Zurich Business School) found the back of the net on the power play with assists coming from sophomore forward Lazar Lestaric (Belgrade, Serbia/Sesta) and Armstrong. On another power play, Armstrong netted his second goal of the game with senior defenseman Steve Csanyi (Belleville, Ontario, Canada/Nicholson) getting the assist. With just under three minutes remaining in the first period, sophomore forward Blair Davies (Georgetown, Ontario, Canada/Christ the King) scored on a Naas pass. Six minutes into the second period Armstrong yet again found the back of the net to complete the hat trick with Lestaric credited for the assist. With 6:49 remaining in the second period, sophomore forward Kristjan Toivola (Bellingham, WA/Bellingham Blazers (NPHL)) put one past the Bradley net minder with assists coming from Naas and Davies. Bradley would add two goals before the close of the second period, to make the score 6-2 in favor of the Bearcats. To open the third period blasted one past the Braves goalie to close out scoring for McKendree. Freshman Nick Gay (Pinedale, WY/Pinedale HS) and Brogan Walters (St. Louis, MO/Ladue Horton Watkins HS) earned assists on Lestaric's goal. However, the Braves found the back of the net one more time before the final buzzer, to make the final score 7-3, Bearcats.
 
This was Armstrong's first return to the Owens Center in Peoria since playing for the Peoria Mustangs for the previous four seasons. In the game he registered three goals and one assist for four points. Armstrong also netted one goal on Friday night, to give him a five-point weekend. With his four goals on the weekend, he is now tied with senior Ryan Sizer (Belleville, Ontario, Canada/Moira Secondary School) and Toivola for the lead in goals scored with 10.
 
Naas and Lestaric also had a multi-point game, each registering one goal and two assists for three points on the day. Naas had four points on the weekend, to put his totals at seven goals and eleven assists for 18 points. Lestaric had three points on the weekend, giving him six goals and thirteen assists for 19 points. Davies also put up several points with one goal and one assist on the day, to put his totals at four goals and three assists for seven points.
 
The Bearcats hit the ice again on Friday and Saturday, November 11 and 12 for a two game series against the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL.