OMAHA, NEB. – On Friday night, men's ice hockey (3-12-1) battled the Omaha Mavericks (6-8-0, 4-4-0 NCHC). The Lions would pull out a 3-2 win over the Mavericks, with the Lions having three different goal scorers on the night. With the win, Lindenwood improves to 4-12-1 on the 2024-25 campaign, and the Mavericks fall to 6-9-0.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
Lindenwood would find the back of the net early in the game, coming from Jaeden Mercier, scoring on a tap-in opportunity. Mercier's goal would be assisted by Ethan Zielke and Jack Anderson, at 4:22. This would be goal number five on the season for Mercier. Lindenwood's one-goal lead would be short-lived, with the Mavericks scoring a one-timer at 10:06, to tie the contest up at 1-1. For the remainder of the frame, both teams would be held scoreless, resulting in the Lions tied at 1-1 with Mavericks, after a period of play. Lindenwood in the period would have 11 shots on net. Owen Bartoszkiewicz would make 13 saves in the period.
 
In period two, it would take the Lions 7:09 to find the scoring column for the second time on the night. Joe Prouty would tally the goal for the Lions, scoring off a slapshot. Prouty's goal would be assisted by Nebraska native, Coltan Wilkie, and Freshman Ryan Forberg. This would be Prouty's first goal of the season. A strong defensive effort by the Lions would hold the Mavericks off the scoring column in the second period, resulting in the Lions leading 2-1, after two periods of play. In the frame, Lindenwood had 16 shots on net, and Bartoszkiewicz would make five stops.
 
59 seconds into the third period, John Evans would score off a one-timer from the point, scoring the Lion's third goal on the night, and would give Lindenwood their biggest lead through 41 minutes of play. Evan's goal would be his first of the season and would be assisted by Noah Houle. Omaha would not shy away, scoring the final goal of the game at 10:09 into the frame, off a tap-in opportunity, cutting the Lion's lead to one. In period three, Lindenwood had 12 shots on net, for a total of 39 in the contest. Bartoszkiewicz would add 11 more saves to his save total of the night in the third period, for a total of 29 stops on the night.
 
QUOTABLE
"Thought we had a real strong game. I like the offensive side of our game tonight. It gave us a chance to get out to a 3-1 lead on the road in the third period. I really liked our penalty kill, and it helped us when we needed it most, to just find a way to close the game out. A lot of individuals on our team played well, just a good recipe, and a good win for us," said head coach Bill Muckalt.

STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points – Eight Tied (1)
Goals – Three Tied (1)
Assists – Five Tied (1)
Shots on Goal – Joe Prouty (6)
+/- – Nine tied (+1)
Faceoff Wins – Ethan Zielke (9)
Blocks – Six Tied (2)
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood is set for round two against Omaha, battling the Mavericks, Saturday, December 14, at 7:07 PM CT.