After giving up a late lead in the opener Saturday night, men's ice hockey bounced back to split a two-game series with a 3-2 victory at home over number three ranked Ohio Sunday afternoon.

Lindenwood was more than tripled by the Bobcats in shots 42-12, but the Lions made their small number of efforts count.  Graham Zagrodney scored the first goal for Lindenwood when he fired the puck into the net off an assist from Christoffer Lowenhielm at the 15:51 mark of the first.  The Lions increased their margin early in the second on the power play.  Freshman forward Tobias Nasgarde split the pipes just over a minute-and-a-half into the period.  Jake Fairchild and Zagrodney earned the helpers on the play and Lindenwood led 2-0.

It looked like the Lions held all the momentum, but Ohio quickly took the air out of the building with a quick response less than a minute later to pull back within a single tally.  The Bobcats continued to rally on offense and it paid off midway through the third when they tied the game at two.  After successful comebacks from two goal deficits in back-to-back games, Ohio appeared to be on the verge of a sweep, but strong defense and incredible goaltending kept the Bobcats in check. 

With both team scrambling to get the winner, Ohio took a key penalty late in regulation, giving Lindenwood its third power play of the contest.  That opportunity was all the Lions needed.  With just 1:20 remaining, Rock Einersen found Lukas Daniels for a 3-2 lead.  The final seconds elapsed and Lindenwood skated off the ice with a victory.

Defense, goaltending, and special teams, trademarks of the Lions this season, were clearly on display.  Freshman goaltender Michael Hails stopped 40 of the 42 shots he faced and Lindenwood went 2-3 on the power play.  After stopping the Bobcats on all four penalty kills Saturday, the Lions blanked them again on Sunday on five chances. 

Lindenwood improved to 11-9-2 overall for the season and 8-3-1 in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) to keep pace at the top of the conference standings with Ohio. 

The Lions will be tested again in their next series as they face Arizona State, the top ranked squad in the country.  The Sun Devils visit the Lindenwood Ice Arena for a non-conference battle in Wentzville, Mo., November 16-17.  The opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night and again at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon.  Both games and all remaining regular season home contests are available via pay-per-view live streaming through STL Sports Productions.