No. 22 Warriors Push No. 5 Drury to the Brink in Overtime Loss, Honor Seniors Saturday
FREMONT, Neb. — No. 22 Midland University wrapped up its final home games of the season with a weekend series against No. 5 Drury University on Friday and Saturday night. Friday's contest was a thriller that went to overtime, where Midland fell 5-4. On Saturday, the Warriors honored their 2026 seniors but came up short, 4-1.
FRIDAY: Drury 5, Midland 4 (OT)
Midland struck first with a late goal in the opening period. John Dube slipped the puck past the goalie at the 18:06 mark, assisted by Parker McInroy, to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
Drury opened the second period with a shorthanded goal at 3:26 to even the score at 1-1. A few minutes later, the Panthers capitalized on the power play with a goal at 4:45 to take a 2-1 advantage.
Just over a minute later, Brady Wicklund answered for Midland, scoring at 5:18 off assists from Brown and Wotton to tie the game at 2-2. Drury regained the lead with another power-play goal at 7:11, making it 3-2.
Midland responded on its own power play when Karl Grafelman found the back of the net at 12:24, assisted by Tommy Babb and Hugo Lukacovic, knotting the score at 3-3.
The Warriors opened the third period with an early spark as Jack Olson scored just 27 seconds in, assisted by Babb and Grafelman, to give Midland a 4-3 lead. Drury quickly answered with a goal at the 1:15 mark to tie the game at 4-4. Both teams held defensively for the remainder of regulation, forcing overtime.
In overtime, the Panthers secured the win with an unassisted goal at 2:42, handing Midland a 5-4 heartbreaker.
Elijah Marchese played the full 62:42 in goal, recording 28 saves.
SATURDAY: Drury 4, Midland 1
Ethan Brown opened the scoring at the 7:00 mark of the first period, assisted by Matthew O'Doherty and John Dube, giving Midland a 1-0 lead.
Drury responded with a power-play goal at 6:01 to tie the game 1-1. The Panthers then took a 2-1 lead with a goal at 10:18 to close out the second period.
Drury added an insurance goal at 8:10 of the third period and later capitalized again on the power play at 11:17. The Panthers held Midland scoreless the rest of the way to secure the 4-1 victory on Senior Night.
"This group was my first freshman class as a head coach. They'll hold a special place for that and for the success we've had the past four years. They are the backbone of our team, both on the ice and in the weight room. They've grown so much as leaders. Thank you to them and their families for everything they've given to Midland hockey." commented head coach Jan Dam.
Midland (6-23-1) now turns its focus to the Midwest College Hockey Tournament, where it will open play against Jamestown on Friday, Feb. 20, in Albert Lea, Minnesota. Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m.