(ST. LOUIS, Mo., Jan. 21) – The McKendree University D2 hockey team opened its season with an 8-6 win on the road to Maryville University on Wednesday night.
 
The Saints scored the first goal six minutes into the first period when the Bearcats quickly countered back with a goal shot by junior Daniel Nomerstad (Oslo, Norway/Lambertseter VGS), assisted by senior Nick Nelson (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell). Maryville came back with another goal about halfway through the period, but McKendree answered with three more goals. Two minutes after the Saints scored their second goal, sophomore Chris Noble (Holiday, FL/East Lake High School) cut into the lead with a pass from senior Tyler Estermyer (Plano, TX/East Lake), tying the game 2-2. Seconds later, sophomore Noah Scrum (Maryville, IL/Collinsville High School) received a pass from Nelson, putting the Bearcats in the lead. Within the same minute, the Bearcats scored yet again with a goal by senior Garrett Poole (Columbia, IL/Columbia), assisted once again by Nelson. McKendree took the lead 4-2 after the first period.
 
Seconds into the second period, Nelson wasted no time scoring McKendree's fifth goal with assists from Poole and Riley Brown (Granite City, IL/Granite City). The Saints closed the gap with two more goals; however, the Bearcats still held the lead 5-4 after two periods of play.
 
Halfway through the final period, senior Derek Northrop (St. Louis, MO/DeSmet Jesuit) added to the lead with help from Nelson and Poole. Five minutes later, Poole made his second goal of the night with a pass from Northrop. Maryville answered back with a goal, making the score 7-5. Then, with only 45 seconds left on the clock, Nomerstad made yet another, this time unassisted. The Saints scored a shot at the last second, but the Bearcats still prevailed with a final score of 8-6.
 
The Bearcats will be back on the ice Feb. 24 as they host Maryville University at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex.