The No. 1 Lindenwood women's ice hockey team captured the CCWHA Tournament Championship over the weekend. The Lady Lions defense did not allow a goal for the final nine periods of the tournament as it won the event for the third time in three years in the league.

The Lady Lions defeated No. 9 Michigan and No. 15 Western Michigan in pool play. Lindenwood then defeated No. 4 Grand Valley State in the semifinals and No. 6 Michigan State in the championship game.

Mandy Dion was named MVP of the tournament, while Rebecca Bernet and Shea Crawford were second-team all-tournament selections.

Lindenwood will take an 18-game unbeaten streak and the top seed into the ACHA National Tournament which begins on March 11 in Blaine, Minn.

Championship
Lindenwood captured the division tournament with a 2-0 victory over Michigan State. The game was a rematch of last year's conference championship game which the Lady Lions won in a shootout.

Bernet continued her hot goaltending play by making 20 saves and leading the team's defensive effort. Offensively, Lindenwood netted a pair of second period power play goals. The first came off the stick of Lisa Moreau, with an assist from Amanda Blanc. Alexandra Johansson had the second score, with Crawford collecting the assist.

Semifinal
Lindenwood continued to struggle to put up points but got enough to move on to the next round. Behind another shutout by Bernet, the Lady Lions defeated Grand Valley State by a 2-0 score.

The game-winning goal came midway through the first period when Johansson scored off an assist from Deven Staiger. In the second, an insurance goal was put in on the power play from Dion, off an assist from Blanc.

That was all Bernet needed as she made 17 saves in earning the shutout.

Pool Play
Lindenwood opened up the CCWHA Playoff with a 4-2 victory over Michigan. The Lady Lions trailed 2-1 in the third period but scored three times in the final 13 minutes for the win.

Dion opened the scoring for Lindenwood after she took a pass from Crawford# with 1:23 remaining in the first period. That goal gave the Lady Lions a 1-0 lead after one period which they held onto until Michigan knotted the score with a power play goal in the final minute of the second period.

In the third, the Wolverines went ahead in the early part of the period. The Dion/Crawford duo hooked up again to tie the game less than four minutes after that. Ashley Rebeck scored the game-winner for Lindenwood with 6:01 left, receiving an assist from Kendra Gancher. Dion then completed her hat trick with an insurance goal at the 4:53 mark. Janella Brodett had the assist on the final goal.

Bernet's shutout streak ended but she still picked up the win in goal, making 21 saves in the contest.

In the second pool play contest, the Lady Lions shutout Western Michigan by a 4-0 margin. Lindenwood outshot Western Michigan by a 62-6 margin as it controlled play throughout the day.

All of Lindenwood's goals came in the second period. Sarah Oliphant scored back-to-back goals less than a minute apart to give the Lady Lions a 2-0 lead. Erica Wynn and Crawford also scored in that period. Rebeck assisted on three of those tallies. Bernet added to her single season shutout record with her six saves.