Men's ACHA DII ice hockey gave up a goal 12 seconds into the game but then scored 10 of the next 11 in the contest to take down Minnesota 10-2 Friday night at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

After the opening score from the Gophers, the Lions only trailed for 64 seconds before getting the tying goal off the blade of Gabe Vijuk, assisted by Easton Portner and Zachary Schwartz at 1:16. Minnesota was called for slashing just seven seconds later and Lindenwood quickly took a 2-1 lead when Brett Robinson and Brock Hart set up Nick Jones on the power play at 1:33. After the initial flurry of goals, the rest of the period went scoreless and Lindenwood took the 2-1 advantage into the first intermission.

The Gophers fought back early in the second with an even-strength goal at 3:54 that knotted the game at 2-2. It took until the midway point of the period for the Lions to retake the lead, but when they did, it started an avalanche. After a Jack Louko score at 10:28, assisted by Jones and Austin Meers, Lindenwood added four more in the second and another three in the third.

Robinson made it 4-2 off a pass from Eli Roofe at the 12:35 mark, then Gage Vierzba sounded the horn at 13:15 with help from Chase McClellan and Vijuk. Vierzba went back-to-back off a feed from McClellan at 14:03 for a 6-2 lead, and then Robinson stole the puck and scored unassisted at 15:53 to make it 7-2. That's where it remained until the second intermission, despite a major penalty call on the Lions.

Minnesota switched goaltenders at the beginning of the third and the five-minute power play carried over into the period, but Lindenwood turned the tables when Vijuk took possession of the puck and split the pipes shorthanded and unassisted at 2:01. An elbowing call against the Lions gave Minnesota another power play midway through the third, but Lindenwood lit the lamp shorthanded again when Brett Bell stole the puck and fed it to Hart for a 9-2 advantage at 10:47. The Lions added their final goal of the game when Bell scored his first of the season on an even-strength play set up by Robinson and Zac Maupin at 15:53.

Lindenwood outshot the Gophers 55 to 17 and Justin Grenon stopped 15 of the 17 pucks he faced to earn the victory in goal.

The Lions improved to 17-0 with the win. They'll try to extend that streak and sweep the series when they host Minnesota on Saturday with the opening faceoff set for 3:50 p.m. at the Centene Community Ice Center.