ST. LOUIS, Mo. – No. 4-ranked Midland University closed out its four-game road trip with a 4-1 win over No. 12 Lindenwood University on Friday night and a 2-2 tie at No. 7 McKendree University on Saturday. The Warriors now sit at 18-5-3 on the season following the 3-0-1 weekend.
Midland 4, Lindenwood 1
After a scoreless opening period, Midland took advantage of a penalty by the Lions early in the second. Callie Maguire netted the power-play goal at the 3:47 mark as Jenna Grosdidier and Keagan Shearer earned the assists.
In the third, the Warriors two goals within minutes of each other, pushing their lead out. Ally Rakowski scored both of them, the first coming off assists from Kayla Flanigan and Davanna Ditto. Her second score was unassisted, putting Midland in front 3-0 with just over 13 minutes to play.
Rakowski completed her hat trick later in the period after Lindenwood avoided the shutout with a goal just past the midway point. Rakowski’s score was assisted by Kamryn Hayhurst and capped off the game’s goals.
In the goal for the victory was Kayla Bailey. She amassed 19 saves on her end of the ice. On the opposite end, Lindenwood’s goalie saved 37 of the Warriors’ shots on target.
Midland 2, McKendree 2 (OT)
In the weekend finale, the Warriors were looking for a two-game sweep of McKendree after winning 2-0 on Friday afternoon. The Bearcats, who earlier in the month defeated No. 1-ranked Liberty, had other thoughts in mind.
Each team netted a first-period power-play goal. With just over 14 minutes gone in the period, McKendree found the back of the net following a cross-checking call against Midland.
Three minutes later, the Warriors responded with their first goal. With a Bearcat in the penalty box after an interference call, Keagan Shearer put the puck in the back of the net off assists from Kayla Flanigan and Jenna Grosdidier.
Following the first intermission, things got a lot more physical in the second period. The Warriors and Bearcats combined for 12 penalties. Eight of the calls were for roughing, with three being offsetting penalties that resulted in four-on-four play. Neither team was able to take advantage of the extra space on the ice and they went into the final intermission still knotted at 1-1.
In the third, Midland took the lead just over two minutes in as Ally Rakowski found the hole in the defense. Grosdidier and Callie Maguire picked up the assists at the 2:03 mark.
Five minutes later, McKendree would find an answer. They scored with 12:47 on the game clock keeping their chances alive. The teams’ defense held true the rest of regulation, setting up an extra five-minute sudden-victory period.
In overtime, both sides had power-play chances. The Warriors were unable to take advantage of a five-on-three in the first few minutes and then held the Bearcats in check over the final 1:07 when they had an advantage.
Hannah Stone picked up 16 saves on the day, allowing a pair of goals, in the draw. Her counterpart saw 32 shots on net and saved 30.
Midland (18-5-3) will return home for a two-game series with Lindenwood (5-11-1) on Saturday and Sunday. The games are slated for a 4:00 p.m. start on February 4, and a 12:00 p.m. start on February 5 in Fremont, Nebraska.
