MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – The Lindenwood men's hockey team (9-8-0) returned from the holiday break with a 5-2 win over Canisius (8-9-2, 4-6-2 AHA) at Centene Community Ice Center on Friday night. The Lions were able to overcome an early 1-0 deficit with an offensive explosion in the second period that featured four goals.

Game Overview
Canisius opened the scoring with a midrange snipe from Grant Porter that found the back of the net at the 14:22 mark. Lindenwood finished the opening frame with a slight advantage in shots on goal (13-12) but entered the first intermission trailing 1-0.

The Lions found their breakthrough at the 6:20 mark of the second period with Jacob Fletcher getting on the end of a long pass by Charles Savoie before burying the puck into the top left corner of the net to even the score.

LU would surge ahead midway through the period with a pair of goals in quick succession, with Adam Raesler scoring from the crease at the 10:59 mark on a goal assisted by Drew Kuzma and Ethan Elias before Louis-Philippe Fontaine took advantage of a breakaway opportunity to touch twine after poking the puck away from the Golden Griffins just above the blue line.

The Griffs got one back with a Kash Rasmussen goal with just under four minutes remaining in the second period, but the Lions responded in quick order as Jake Southgate scored on a one-timer from the faceoff circle at the 18:35 mark. Michael Bevilacqua and Fontaine assisted on the play.

Bevilacqua scored his second point of the evening with a shot that deflected off a Canisius defender and into the net at the 7:08 mark of the third period, extending the lead to 5-2. Ethan Zielke and Jaeden Mercier were credited with assists.

Notables

• The Lions outshot the Griffins 45-32 in the game, moving their record to 6-2 when recording more shots on goal than their opponents this season.
• Eight Lindenwood skaters registered points in the contest, led by Louis-Philippe Fontaine and Michael Bevilacqua with a goal and assist apiece.
• Goaltender Liam Beerman collected 30 saves as he improved his 2025-26 record to 6-2.
• Lindenwood's four goals in the second period were their most in a single period this season.
• The Lions now have six comeback wins this season.
• LU's nine wins are the most in a single season since becoming an NCAA program in 2022-23.

Next Up
The Lions and Golden Griffins face off again on Saturday, with puck drop scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT.