(SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Feb. 17) – The McKendree University men's D2 hockey team captured its third consecutive Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) Gold Division Championship with a 5-2 victory over Iowa State.
 
The Bearcats advance to 25-5-1 overall on the season.
 
Since moving to the gold division at the start of the 2016-17 season, McKendree has won the division championship in each year.
 
At the conclusion of the tournament, junior Tyler Wilson (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada) and sophomore Connor Brennan (Castle Rock, CO/Regis Jesuit High School) were named co-MVPs of the tournament.
 
McKendree struck early as Brennan scored a power-play goal just four minutes into the opening period. Wilson and sophomore Daniel Nordlander (Göteborg, Sweden/Wasaskolan Tingsryd) were credited with assists. Iowa State evened the score with 10 minutes left in the period. The Bearcats regained the lead just 27 seconds later when freshman Otasowie Omoregie (Pickering, Ontario, Canada) recorded his first goal of the season with help from Wilson. Wilson pushed the lead to two after his first goal of the contest with an assist from Nordlander. The Bearcats carried a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
 
After the second period, the score remained the same. Senior goaltender Andrew Best (Midland, Ontario, Canada/Cambridge Bears Junior A team) turned away six Cyclone shots in the period.
 
Three minutes into the final period, junior Dominic Naas (Neurensdorf, Zurich, Switzerland/Casper Coyotes WSHL) extended the lead with an assist from senior Lazar Lestaric (Belgrade, Serbia/National Sports Academy USHS). Iowa State cut into the lead with five minutes remaining in the game. Lestaric added an empty net goal with one-minute left to seal a 5-2 victory for the Bearcats.
 
Best recorded 19/21 saves in the game, good for a .904 save percentage.
 
The Bearcats will travel to Minneapolis, Minn. for the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Central region tournament at Schwan Super Rink on March 1-3.