No. 18 Warriors Take Two from No. 23 Missouri State on the Road
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Back on the ice after the short holiday break, No. 18-ranked Midland University earned a weekend sweep over No. 23 Missouri State University. The Warriors picked up a 3-2 win on Friday and then battled back for a 6-4 victory on Saturday at Brightspeed Ice Park.
FRIDAY: Midland 3, Missouri State 2
The Warriors took an early lead on Friday, capitalizing on a slashing penalty by the Bears midway through the first period. Leo Milan netted the powerplay goal to give Midland a 1-0 advantage. Missouri State responded late in the period with a powerplay goal of their own, tying the game at 1-1 with 1:41 remaining.
The teams traded defensive blows in the second period, with Midland successfully killing off multiple penalties. In the final frame, the Warriors struck quickly, scoring two goals in the first four minutes. Tommy Babb put Midland ahead at 3:27, followed by Zach Weber's unassisted goal just 19 seconds later at 3:46.
Missouri State answered with a powerplay goal with 1:36 left, but Midland held off a late surge to secure the 3-2 victory. Liam Tereposky made 26 saves in the win, while Missouri State's goalies combined for 27 saves.
SATURDAY: Midland 6, Missouri State 4
In the series finale, Missouri State opened the scoring on a powerplay goal midway through the first period. The Warriors answered with a shorthanded goal from Isaac Hood just before the intermission to even the score at 1-1.
The Bears regained the lead with another powerplay goal early in the second period, but Midland responded with goals from Luke Guarienti at 11:52 and Mathew Kochanowski at 14:56, the latter coming on a powerplay, to take a 3-2 lead into the third period.
Missouri State tied the game early in the final frame with another powerplay goal and later took a 4-3 lead with a shorthanded goal at the 6:49 mark. Midland regained momentum with Matthew McCaw's game-tying goal at 8:52, followed by Lasse Richert's go-ahead goal at 14:00, assisted by Zak Justice and Kochanowski. Milan Breczko sealed the win with an insurance goal at 17:08, assisted by Babb.
Tereposky picked up the win in net, stopping 24 shots as the Warriors outshot the Bears 37-28.
Midland (11-11-1) will be back in action next weekend with a home series against Central Oklahoma (7-8-0). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 13, and on Saturday, December 14 at Sidner Ice Arena in Fremont, Nebraska.