(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 27) – The McKendree University men's D1 hockey team is set for its regular season finale this weekend against Illinois State. Friday's matchup is set for 7:30pm and Saturday is slated for 7:00pm with the Senior Night ceremony taking place before puck drop.
The Bearcats sport a 17-5 overall record and 15-3 record in Midwest College Hockey (MCH) play. McKendree has already secured the MCH Regular Season title and top overall seed in the MCH Tournament on March 6-8.
Before Saturday's game, the men's hockey team will honor
Andrew Best (Midland, Ontario, Canada/Cambridge Bears Junior A team),
Ty Watt (Barrie, Ontario, Canada/Rama Aces GMHL),
Alec Nichols (Cedar Rapids, IA/Northern Iowa Bulls NA3HL),
Michael Weedman (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt North High School),
Tyler Wilson (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada/), and
Dominic Naas (Neurensdorf, Zurich, Switzerland/Casper Coyotes WSHL) for their last home game as McKendree Bearcats.
Leading the offense is senior
Dominic Naas (Neurensdorf, Zurich, Switzerland/Casper Coyotes WSHL) with 26 goals, 17 assists, and 43 total points.
Lazar Lestaric (Belgrade, Serbia/National Sports Academy USHS) leads in assists with 27, posting 40 points. In just 14 games, senior
Tyler Wilson (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada/) has 11 goals, 14 assists, and 25 points.
Between the pipes,
Andrew Best (Midland, Ontario, Canada/Cambridge Bears Junior A team) has a 6-2 record, 1.93 goals against average, and .928 save percentage. Sophomore
Wes Werner (LaSalle, Ontario, Canada/Sandwich Secondary School) supports a 7-2 record, 3.15 goals against average, and .874 save percentage.
The Bearcats recently took on Illinois State on Feb. 14-15, dropping the opening game 4-2 and winning the next 5-4 in overtime.
About Illinois State
The Redbirds have a 12-14-4 overall record and 7-5-2 mark in MCH play, holding onto the two seed. Brennan Begner leads Illinois State offensively with 15 goals, 16 assists, and 31 points. Daniel Sarnecki plays a key part in guiding the attack with a team-leading 17 assists. Trevor Hilt and Joe Perrelle both post double digit scoring numbers with 10 goals apiece.
In net, Adam Lindeman is the primary goalie with an 8-9 overall record, 3.49 goals against average, and .903 save percentage. Trevor Smith, Tyler Arneson, and Hannes Kiefer each have seen five games in the crease.
If you cannot attend, both games will be broadcasted at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree.
