Comeback Falls Short on Mizzou Hockey Senior Night


By: Joey Schneider
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.- Although the Tigers fell to the Southern Illinois Eastern Cougars on Friday by a score of 8-4, several upperclassmen stood out for the Missouri Tigers’ club hockey during Friday’s Senior Night.
Mizzou honored eight seniors in a pre-game ceremony in preparation for their final home series of their collegiate careers at Washington Park Ice Arena.
“I’ve learned a lot in my time with the team,” said senior forward Cory Cannon. “We have a lot of different personalities. Learning to mesh those and become a team together isn’t always easy, but it makes a world of difference on the ice.”
Mizzou jumped to an early lead with an opening goal from Nate Meyer less than four minutes into the contest. While the Tigers trailed 2-1 at the first intermission, Meyer also found the back of the net less than 10 seconds into the second period.
“We were moving the puck well,” said senior defenseman Dillon Starry, who assisted on both of Meyer’s goals. “We just have to keep playing our game, stick to our game and do the little things right.”
Shortly following Meyer’s second tally, the Tigers moved ahead to a 3-2 lead on a power-play goal from Cannon.
“I was in the right place at the right time for my teammates, who were moving the puck incredibly well,” said Cannon after scoring his third goal in five games. “Luckily I got a good tip on it, and with it being Senior Night, it meant a lot to me.”
The Cougars responded with a late second-period outburst, scoring four unanswered goals before entering the second intermission with a 7-4 lead. Defense tightened up on both sides after a back-and-forth second period, but SIUE recorded an insurance goal to limit a Mizzou comeback.
“Getting the puck out of our zone and into [the opponent’s zone] has been an issue recently,” said Cannon. “But cleaning up the small technical things will make [opportunities] fall into place for us.”
As Mizzou competes to determine their placement in the Mid-American Hockey Association playoffs, the Tigers will look to snap their five-game losing streak during their final home game of the regular season on Saturday at 9 p.m.

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