No. 6 Warriors Drops Pair of Games at WMCH Showcase

ST. LOUIS – No. 6-ranked Midland University took on top-ranked Liberty University and No. 3 McKendree University at the Women's Midwest Collegiate Hockey (WMCH) Showcase this week in St. Louis, Missouri. The Warriors dropped both highly-ranked contests, falling to Liberty, 4-1, on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, they were shut out by McKendree, 2-0.

THURSDAY: Liberty 4, Midland 1

After a scoreless first period, Liberty broke through with a shorthanded goal 4:20 into the second. The Flames added another goal on the powerplay just over ten minutes later, then tacked on two more powerplay goals in the third to take a 4-0 lead. The Warriors prevented the shutout when Keagan Shearer scored on the powerplay with under three minutes left, assisted by Taylor Bell and Grace Page. Despite outshooting Liberty 25-21, Midland couldn't close the gap. Meghan Stewart made 17 saves in goal for the Warriors.

FRIDAY: McKendree 2, Midland 0

Midland's defense held strong through much of the game against McKendree, but with 2:25 left in the second period, the Bearcats scored to go up 1-0. The Warriors had nine shots in the third but couldn't find the equalizer, and McKendree added an insurance goal at 10:14 to secure the 2-0 victory. Both teams registered 19 shots, with Natalie Rampton stopping 17 shots in the loss.

Midland (7-5, 6-4 WMCH) will aim to bounce back on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. matchup against No. 2 Maryville (10-5, 2-3 WMCH) at the WMCH Showcase. Six Warriors—Rylee Martin, Callie Maguire, Darbi Poole, Keagan Shearer, Makenna Larson, and Meghan Stewart—will compete in the 2nd Annual WMCH All-Star Game on Sunday.