The Lindenwood women's ACHA division I ice hockey team went toe-to-toe with the Maryville University Saints Friday evening at Centene Community Ice Center in a bout that ended in a 4-4 tie in overtime.
From the opening faceoff, it was apparent this game would be close. Both teams matched each other stride for stride in the period as both teams had few scoring chances thanks to stingy defense and excellent goaltending. Maryville outshot Lindenwood 8-7 in the first period and were able to tally the only goal of the first period. The goal came just 1:21 into the game and the 1-0 Saints held that lead until the horn sounded.
It was a different story in the second period, however. The Saints extended their lead to 2-0 3:02 into the period, but Kenzie Cameron and the Lions answered just 47 seconds later. Cameron scored her 2
nd goal of the seasons off a beautiful feed from
Hilary Pearce. However, Maryville regained their two-goal lead again at 8:06. With the score 3-1 in favor of the Saints, a slew of Maryville penalties gave the Lions their chance to claw back into the game. The Lions did not squander their opportunities either as
Ardyn Hawryshko got the second period scoring started for Lindenwood at 14:38. While on the powerplay, she netted her 13
th goal of the year thanks to assists from
Loki Antonio and
Madison Teague. Then, at 16:40,
Ava Bilton scored her 3
rd of the year and tied the game 3-3 while on another man advantage. Both Antonio and Teague were rewarded with assists on the Bilton goal. For Teague, it brought her assist total to 22, currently the team lead. But the Lions were not finished there. The Lions took to the power play again at 18:39 and claimed their first lead just 16 seconds later. The shot came off the stick of
Loki Antonio, her team leading 23
rd goal of the season. Hawryshko and Bilton earned assists on the Antonio tally. The Lions took their 4-3 lead into the third period.
Now down a goal, and clearly angered by the Lions late second period surge, the Saints dominated the third period. Maryville tallied 18 shots on goal in the third period compared to the Lions mere 4.
Erica Didocha played fantastically in net, stopping all but one of the 18 shots face in the frame. At 11:08, the Saints tied the game up 4-4 while on the power play. Didocha repelled several other high danger scoring chances and was able to send the game to overtime. Unfortunately, neither side could find the back off the net in overtime, resulting in a 4-4 final.
Although the Lions were unable to secure a victory, this game was still a step in the right direction. They successfully managed to fight their way back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime. The Lions also had some of the best special teams and goaltending play that they have had all season. With the tie, the Lions record moves to 8-10-2 on the year. Lindenwood will look to get back in the win column on Sunday as they square off with Maryville once again. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
