O'FALLON, Ill. ---The McKendree University D2 Men's Hockey Team won their season opener here Friday evening against the Maryville University Saints at the McKendree Metro RecPlex. It was Head Coach Alec Nichols' first coaching win as the Bearcats won 5-3.

"It feels amazing," said Coach Nichols following the game. "It's just a monkey off my back really. The boys worked hard tonight. This win isn't just my first win; this is our first win. It's a good win for our guys."

Bearcats senior goalie Joey Bernardini (Chesterfield, Mo./CBC) got his first win of the season in the process, stopping 39 of 42 shots to secure the victory.

Most of the first period was dictated by the Saints, but it was the Bearcats getting on the board late in the 1st period as graduate student forward Derek Northrop (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) scored the first of his two goals of the game to open up the scoring in the game with 2:15 remaining in the 1st period.

Early in the 2nd period, the Saints tied the game at 1-1 with a goal by Josh Salmon. Nearing the halfway point the Bearcats regained the lead 2-1. Sophomore forward Jacob Welch (Belleville, Ill./Palm Springs United) found a loose rebound to punch past Saints goalie Max Gaudet for his first career Bearcat goal. The game appeared to head into the 3rd period at that score, until Maryville's Spencer Barlow scored to tie the game at 2 with 4 seconds left in the 2nd period. 

That goal didn't seem to slow down the Bearcats as early in the 3rd period, the Bearcats regained the lead 3-2 when senior forward Blakely Robinson (Belleville, Ill./SIIU-Edwardsville) deflected a point shot from graduate student Tyler Estermyer (Plano, Texas/East Lake) in the high slot. That goal came at 2:25 of the 3rd period. Just over two minutes later, Northrop scored on a 3-on-1 goal, going high over Gaudet's glove hand to make it 4-2. The Saints pushed back and couldn't solve Bernardini until under five minutes to play when Matt Simoncelli made it 4-3.

In the dying seconds of the game, senior forward Cayden Brilley (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) scored on a breakaway to make it 5-3 in the Bearcats favor. 

The game had 16 penalties and each team got power play goals and each went 2-for-7 on the man advantage on the night.

The Bearcats wrap up their opening season series against the Saints on Saturday, Sept. 18 as the two teams play in Chesterfield, Mo., beginning at 8:15 p.m. 

"It's going to be a battle," added Nichols. "We know that coming into Maryville this weekend they're just a team that's deep, and they're a team that fights hard. We just know we gotta take care of their bodies & really be ready for a full 60 minute grind. Hard work is what's going to win it tomorrow."

NOTES:
McKendree:
Northrop: 2 goals, 2 points
Brilley: 1 goal; 1 assist; 2 points
Welch: 1 goal; 1 point
Robinson: 1 goal; 1 point.
Estermyer: 1 assist; 1 point.
senior forward Daniel Nomerstad (Oslo, Norway/Dakota School of Bottineau): 1 assist; 1 point
sophomore defender Tyler Mann (Manteno, Ill./Manteno): 1 assist, 1 point

Maryville:
Salmon: 1 goal; 1 point
Barlow: 1 goal; 1 assist; 2 points
Simoncelli: 1 goal; 1 point
Phil Kemmer: 1 assist; 1 point
Kyle Bracko: 1 assist; 1 point
Spencer Turner: 1 assist; 1 point

Each team had 8 penalties.