ST. LOUIS, Mo. - McKendree University women's hockey closed out its season-opening weekend on Saturday evening, dropping its second contest with Maryville after tying with the Saints on Friday afternoon. The Bearcats featured a consistent offensive presence but were unable to capitalize to collect a win in the first two games. The two games marked the first time since November 2021 that the Bearcats scored three-plus goals in back-to-back games. McKendree will be back in action on October 2 against Lindenwood in Maryland Heights, Mo.
Game 1 | Friday, September 23
McKendree opened the season at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex against Maryville on Friday afternoon, tying the Saints, 3-3, after overtime concluded.
The Bearcats went down, 0-1, in the first period to the Saints but the lead lasted just 45 seconds in game time as McKendree fired its first goal of the game at the eight-minute mark. The first goal of the year was scored by senior center
Camryn Scully during a power-play for the Bearcats, her goal was assisted on by sophomore defender
Aria Groot.
McKendree built on its scoring with a goal at the 8:56 mark of the first period, less than a minute after the first goal. Freshman forward
Jayna Barnden scored her first collegiate goal to put the Bearcats up, 2-1, over the Saints. Freshman forward
Kerstyn Barron dished-out the assist on Barnden's score, marking her first collegiate assist and point. The Bearcats scored a third time in the first period, at the 12:24 mark, with Barnden firing her second career goal off an assist by sophomore defender
Lainy Stienstra. McKendree led 3-2 after the opening period as Maryville scored in the 17th minute.
Scoring subsided until the third period when Maryville tied the game at three goals each. After overtime, the Bearcats and Saints remained tied, 3-3.
Game 2 | Saturday, September 24
The Bearcats traveled over to the Maryville Ice Hockey Center for the second game of the weekend to take on the Saints. Maryville went up early with three goals in the first period but McKendree fired their own 17 minutes in with the freshman Barron scoring her first collegiate goal, this time off a pass from Barnden, who recorded her first collegiate assist. McKendree trailed 3-1 at the end of the first 20.
Both the Bearcats and Saints fired a score in the second period as sophomore forward
Brittney Kambeitz collected her first score of the season via freshman defender
Brooke Lannon. The Saints held a two-goal advantage over the Bearcats entering the second intermission period.
McKendree added one more goal in the third period but the Saints fired two more, solidifying the victory over the Bearcats. The third goal of the match for McKendree came in the 13th minute via sophomore forward
Larisa Gorgevska-Sharpe, who was assisted by Groot. The score by Gorgevska-Sharpe was her first goal of the 2022-23 campaign.
UP NEXT
McKendree women's hockey will be back in action on October 2 at Lindenwood.
