The roller hockey Gold squad won four games at the Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League (MCRHL) Showcase February 1-2 at Salt Creek Arena in Palatine, Illinois, outside of Chicago. The Lions defeated Arizona State 9-1 Saturday morning, then stopped the Michigan State D2 team 6-2 and the Michigan State AA team 12-2 Saturday night. Lindenwood completed the weekend with a 6-3 victory over Ohio State AA Sunday afternoon.

It was a close contest through the first period against the Sun Devils, but the Lions pulled away after that. The two squads exchanged power play goals in the first eight minutes with Dillon Bilek scoring for Lindenwood at 3:17 before ASU answered at 7:36. An even-strength tally from Nicolas Kruk with just five-seconds remaining in the period gave the Lions a lead that they never relinquished.

Lindenwood sounded the horn five times in the second, beginning with Colin Markotay at 1:40. Matthew Sherman struck at 4:05 followed by Brett Lloyd 43-seconds later. Andrew Deciantis added back-to-back goals at 6:39 and 8:16. The Lions added two in the third with Leonardo Dantas finding the back of the cage at 5:03. The second goal from Markotay at 6:37 gave Lindenwood its final margin.

The Lions outshot the Sun Devils 28-15 and Niko Scott stopped 14 of 15 to earn the win in goal. Bilek earned Star No. 1 honors with a goal and three assists, Markotay received Star No. 2 recognition with two goals and an assist, and Sherman was named Star No. 3 with a goal and two assists. James Mueller and Shaun Sapienza had two assists each and Drew Royer had one to help the Lindenwood offense.

In a game that also counted as play in the MCRHL, the Lions had to battle with the Spartans well into the third period. Andrew Zack put Lindenwood on the board on the power play at 2:18, but Michigan State D2 answered Just 32-seconds later. The Lions reclaimed an advantage off the blade of Deciantis at 11:20 for a 2-1 lead after one.

There was only one score in the second period and it came from Lucas Hurst at 3:25. Lindenwood was on the power play early in the third when the Spartans stole the puck and scored short-handed to make it 3-2, but the Lions controlled the remainder of the game with three unanswered. Deciantis split the pipes with the man-advantage at 6:09, then Sherman (7:27) and Markotay (10:33) added additional insurance.

Lindenwood outshot MSU D2 35-14 with Scott getting another victory with 12 saves on 14 shots. Deciantis earned Star No. 1 honors with two goals, Sherman received Star No. 2 recognition with a goal and assist, and Lloyd was named Star No. 3 with two assists.

The Lions had a much easier time in another MCRHL match-up against the Michigan State AA squad to wrap up Saturday. Lindenwood jumped in front with four straight in the first, then outscored the Spartans 5-2 in the second before adding a trio of goals in the third. Zack (2:24), Markotay (4:22), West (7:45), and Bilek (10:09) accounted for the first period goals. In an action packed second, Deciantis scored three times at 1:16, 6:44, and 8:03. MSU netted a power play shot at 3:37 and an even-strength effort at 6:27. Meyer (5:34) and Sherman (9:19) rounded out scoring for the Lions. Markotay (2:12), Meyer (4:56), and Dantas (8:43) each added a goal in the third.

The Lions outshot the Spartans 28-12 and Scott earned his third win of the day with 10 saves. Deciantis was named Star No. 1 with a hat trick and an assist, Zack received Star No. 2 recognition with a goal and four assists, and Marktay earned Star No. 3 honors with a pair of goals and an assist.

The Buckeye D2 team likely gave the Gold squad its biggest test as OSU jumped in front with scores at 4:20 and 5:52. Sapienza cut the deficit in half with 55-seconds remaining, but Lindenwood still trailed 2-1 after the first 12-minutes. Deciantis flipped the lead with two quick shots that found the mark at 1:54 and 2:48, but Ohio State knotted things at 3-3 with 1:52 left in the second.

It remained tied into the third until West sounded the horn at 4:52 for a 4-3 advantage. The Lions defended the one goal margin forcing the Buckeyes to pull their goalie. Both Bilek (10:44) and West (11:44) capitalized on the empty net to clinch another MCRHL game.

Lindenwood outshot Ohio State 20-16 and Scott completed a perfect weekend in goal with 13 saves on 16 shots. West was named Star No. 1 with two goals and an assist, Deciantis earned Star No. 2 honors with two goals, and Markotay received Star No. 3 recognition with two assists.

With the four victories, the roller hockey Gold improved to 12-0 overall and to 9-0 in the MCRHL. The Lions return to action for the MCRHL Conference Championships beginning February 22 at Salt Creek Arena in Palatine, Illinois.