Men's ice hockey fell behind Air Force 3-0 in the first period and the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Lions fell to the NCAA opponent 7-3 Sunday afternoon at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

Max Helgeson netted two for the Lions offense in the second, but the Falcons added another trio of goals to lead 6-2 after the period.  The two teams traded tallies in the third for the final margin with Hayden Ursulak scoring for Lindenwood.

Air Force outshot Lindenwood 43-28 as Stephen Friedland stopped 36 of 43 in the loss.

The Lions drop to 6-3-0 on the season with all three setbacks coming against NCAA foes.  They'll get another chance to earn a victory against an NCAA team when they travel west to face Arizona State for two games in January.  In the meantime, Lindenwood returns to conference play in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League against Roosevelt University October 29-30.  The puck drops at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday night at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Illinois.