After several freshmen made impacts in a season opening win on Saturday, the same was true in a 5-2 win and sweep of Missouri State on Sunday afternoon at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

Caleb Price, Caige Sterzer, and Aiden Yakimchuk all scored their first collegiate goals in the game and netminder Trent Burnham earned his first collegiate victory as the Lions outshot the Bears 48-21.  

Price sounded the horn first to give Lindenwood a 1-0 lead at 4:28 of the opening frame, assisted by David Gagnon and Mitch Allard.  Sterzer made it 2-0 Lions just over seven minutes later on a play set up by Colton Craigo and Price. 

Yakimchuk extended the advantage just 47-seconds into the second with help from Gagnon and Kyle Jeffers before Missouri State scored at 4:39 to make it 3-1 Lions.  Blake Finley restored the three-goal lead at the 11:12 mark on a play set up by Vegard Faret and Niki Molson, but the Bears responded just under five minutes later and Lindenwood carried a 4-2 advantage into the third.

The Lions effectively put the game away early in the third when Andy Willis hit the back of the net at 2:55 on a feed from Ryan Finnegan and Price.

Burnham stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced as Lindenwood improved to 2-0-0 on the young season.

After a weekend off, the Lions go on the road against Illinois for their first series of the year in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League October 8-9.  The puck drops at 7 p.m. that Friday night and 4:30 p.m. Saturday night at the Illinois Ice Arena in Champaign – Urbana, Illinois.