Lindenwood’s Hunter Johannes (21), who had a goal and an assist, looks for room to work against Denver’s Tristan Broz during Saturday’s NCAA men’s hockey match at Magnuss Arena in Denver. (Photo courtesy: Denver University Athletics)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (4-12) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| #1 Denver (16-4) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Scoring Summary | Period | Time | Scored By | Assisted By | LU | DU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1st | 09:57 | Dornbach, Casey | Broz, Tristan, Rizzo, Massimo | 0 | 1 |
 | 1st | 10:59 | Johannes, Hunter | Willis, Andy, Prouty, Joe | 1 | 1 |
| (PP) | 1st | 15:15 | Benning, Mike | Rizzo, Massimo, Thompson, Aidan | 1 | 2 |
| 2nd | 00:54 | Benning, Mike | Broz, Tristan, Dornbach, Casey | 1 | 3 |
| 2nd | 08:39 | DeStefani, Cade | Dunn, Kabore, Wilkie, Coltan | 2 | 3 |
| (PP) | 2nd | 15:22 | Broz, Tristan | Anderson, Kent, Olvestad, Lucas | 2 | 4 |
| 3rd | 00:22 | Allard, Mitch | Conquest, Adam, Yakimchuk, Aiden | 3 | 4 |
| 3rd | 13:33 | DeStefani, Cade | Dunn, Kabore, Johannes, Hunter | 4 | 4 |
| 3rd | 17:33 | Lee, Justin | Ozar, Owen, Broz, Tristan | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | 5 |
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
DENVER, CO — The Lindenwood University men’s hockey team almost pulled off the biggest upset of the NCAA season on Saturday, when it rallied from two goals down to tie No. 1-ranked Denver late in the third period. But the host Pioneers managed to tack on one more score with just under three minutes to go, and then held on to defeat the visiting Lions, 5-4, in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,268 at Magnuss Arena.
Denver led most of the night, after scoring the first goal of the game, then adding two of the next three to go ahead 3-1. Lindenwood got a goal in the second period to pull within 3-2, before the Pioneers added a power play goal late in the second to go ahead 4-2 heading into the third.
But that’s when the Lindenwood rally began. Mitch Allard scored 22 seconds into the third to make the score 4-3. Then, at the 13:33 mark, Cade Stefani banged in a rebound, for his second goal of the game, to tie the score at 4.
The Lions even had a couple of chances to take the lead in the final 6 minutes, with a couple of uneven-man rushes towards the Denver net.
In the end though, it was the Pioneers who notched the game-winning goal — at 17:33 mark — when team captain Justin Lee scored on a rebound to put Denver ahead for good, 5-4.
Another tough one, the loss was Lindenwood’s fourth in a row, as the Lions fell to 4-12 on the season.
With finals over, Lindenwood will now get two weeks off for holiday break, before returning to action on New Year’s Eve weekend with a pair of road matches on December 30 and 31 against Vermont.
| 2022-23 Lindenwood Lions Men’s Hockey Remaining Schedule |
| Fri., December 30 — at Vermont — 6 pm |
| Sat., December 31 — at Vermont — 3 pm |
| Fri., January 6 — at #4 North Dakota — 7:07 pm |
| Sat., January 7 — at #4 North Dakota — 6:07 pm |
| Fri., January 20 — at Long Island — 7 pm |
| Sat., January 21 — at Long Island — 2 pm |
| Fri., February 10 — vs. Stonehill — 7:10 pm |
| Sat., February 11 — vs. Stonehill — 2:10 pm |
| Fri., February 17 — at Arizona State — TBA |
| Sat., February 18 — at Arizona State — TBA |
| Fri., February 24 — at USA Development Team — TBA |
| Sat., February 25 — at USA Development Team — TBA |
| Fri., March 3 — at Alaska-Fairbanks — 10:07 pm |
| Sat., March 4 — at Alaska-Fairbanks — 7:07 pm |
| Fri., March 10 — at Alaska-Anchorage — 10:07 pm |
| Sat., March 11 — at Alaska-Anchorage — 9:07 pm |
| All Lindenwood home games will be played at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights. |