Men's ice hockey completed a sweep of Iowa State with a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 shootout win Sunday afternoon at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

The Lions trailed for most of the game after the Cyclones took a 1-0 lead on a power play with 40-seconds remaining in the first period.  Lindenwood did briefly tie the contest at one a piece when Ryan Finnegan and Kyle Jeffers set up David Gagnon at the 4:39 mark of the second, but Iowa State responded to retake the lead just 33-seconds later, and then added another goal later in the period for a 3-1 advantage heading to the third.

The Lions started their comeback from there, but it took until the 12:38 mark of the period to actually get a goal, and it was a big one from Finnegan as he earned his 100th career point with the primary assist on a shot from Jeffers that sounded the horn.  Aiden Yakimchuk was credited with the secondary assist that made it 3-2 in favor of the Cyclones.

Time was running down in regulation and Lindenwood was still seeking an equalizer, so head coach Rick Zombo pulled his goalie for the extra attacker.  It paid off with only 46-seconds remaining on Gagnon's second goal of the game on a play set up by Jeffers and Andy Willis.  

After the late-regulation heroics, the overtime period expired without a decision, so the game was settled with a shootout.  Zombo sent Vegard Faret on the ice for the first shot and he beat the Iowa State netminder.  Finnegan and Caige Sterzer both missed for the Lions in the next two rounds, but, Stephen Friedland defended all three Cyclones shots to earn the victory for Lindenwood, which outshot Iowa State 39-25.  Friedland stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced while between the pipes in regulation and overtime.

The Lions put themselves in position for the sweep with a 6-4 victory over the Cyclones Saturday night.  Lindenwood jumped to a lead with two goals in a span of 58-seconds late in the opening frame and held Iowa State at bay the rest of the way.  Hayden Ursulak scored the first of the two off a feed from Faret with 3:07 remaining and then Kyler Newman and Jeffers set up Finnegan at the 17:51 mark. 

The Lions built a 3-0 advantage early in the second off the blade of Max Helgeson, assisted by Willis and Sterzer at 1:42, but Iowa State scored the next two to pull back within a goal.  Jeffers hit the back of the net at 16:09 with help from Gagnon and Finnegan to give Lindenwood a 4-2 lead at the end of the period.

The two teams traded goals twice in the third.  After a Cyclones power play score at 2:34, Faret lit the lamp at 8:28, assisted by Ursulak and Mason Kruger.  Iowa State kept the Lions within striking distance on an even-strength effort with 5:14 remaining, but Willis slammed the door 72-seconds later with the sixth goal for Lindenwood, set up by Sterzer and Yakimchuk.

The Lions outshot the Cyclones 52-27 in the game and Trent Burnham stopped 23 of the 27 shots he faced to earn the win.

With the two-game sweep, Lindenwood improved to 10-3-0 overall and to 6-0-0 in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL).  The Lions get two weekends off before wrapping up the fall semester schedule with a two-game set against the University of Michigan – Dearborn December 4-5.  The puck will drop at 7:10 p.m. that Saturday night and at 3:30 p.m. that Sunday afternoon at the Centene Community Ice Center.