The Lindenwood University roller hockey gold squad traveled to Mt. Pleasant, Pa. for the Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (ECRHA) Inter-regional January 25-26 and swept the B Division to win the 2014 ECRHA Challenge Cup.

The Lions defeated Slippery Rock University 8-2 in the first game of the tournament. Justin Steller had two goal and two assists to lead the team. Two Lions had three-point games with Josh Holmes scoring twice and adding an assist and Adam Dowling scoring a goal and two assists. Goaltender Brennan Sowa stopped 14 of 16 shots to secure the win.

Steller netted two goals and three assists in the 12-2 victory over Rowan University in the second game on Saturday. Mitch Moeller scored two goals and assisted twice while Dowling scored two goals and recorded an assist. Charles Robinson backstopped the Lions in goal with 20 saves on 22 shots.

The Lions defeated Michigan State 3-1 in one of the toughest games of the weekend. Evan Schulte led the effort with a goal and an assist. Holmes and Ricky Guadagno also scored for Lindenwood while Sowa stopped 23 of 25 shots in goal for the Lions.
The gold squad faced Northeastern University on Saturday night and earned an 8-1 win over the Huskies. Steller scored a hat-trick and added two assists to lead the offense. Alex Griffith scored two goals and Trevor Borja assisted on three lamp-lighters. Robinson recorded the win in net for the Lions with 9 saves on 10 shots.

Lindenwood defeated Slippery Rock 5-1 in the semifinal round of the double-elimination tournament. Dowling recorded a four-point game with two goals and two assists while Moeller scored two goals and had one assist. Robinson stopped 16 of 17 between the pipes for the Lions.

The Lions scored six first period goals in the championship game against Michigan State and prevailed with a decisive 8-1 win over the Spartans. Steller led the Lions with a goal and three helpers. Dowling contributed two goals and one assist and Schulte netted two goals. Sowa had 10 saves on 11 shots to secure the Challenge Cup title for the Lions.

The gold squad improved to 15-3-0 overall for the 2013-14 season and are riding a seven-game winning streak . The Lions return to action next weekend for the Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League (MCRHA) Inter-Regional at the Hat Trick Hockey facility in Palatine, Ill February 1-2. Lindenwood will face three tough B Division opponents in Grand Valley State, Michigan State and Bethel University (Tenn.).