ANGOLA, IND. - For the second night in a row the Trine men's NCAA hockey team emerge from a contest with a victory, defeating Chatham University by the score of 4-1.
The Thunder wasted no time picking up where they left off last night scoring just 47 seconds into the first period. The goal came when freshman defenseman Ben Lau (Prospect, Ky.) intercepted a pass along the boards and forwarded it along to freshman Max DiCicco (Howell, Mich.) who capitalized with his first score of the night.
In the 15th minute of the same period, Trine would add to the lead. Senior forward Lucas Bombardier (Pittsford, Vt.) collected a saved shot, circled behind the net and then pushed it past the goaltenders right side. Fellow senior Ryan Murray (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and sophomore Tanner Bennett (Columbus, Ind.) tallied assists on the goal.
In the final minute of the period the Cougars would finally respond with their own goal. Kevin Fees put the shot past sophomore goaltender Brett Young (). The goal was the third of a flurry of shots on goal from the Cougars. Including the two preceding the score, Young would finish the night with 15 saves and the second win of his Trine career.
The Thunder would hold onto the 2-1 lead through both intermissions following a scoreless second period.
In the 16th minute of the third period, DiCicco scored his second goal of the evening to give the Thunder a two goal lead. The goal came as DiCicco deflected freshman forward Sammy Nardicchio's (Commerce, Mich.) shot over the left shoulder of the Chatham goalie.
Facing a 3-1 lead by the Thunder, the Cougars gambled and pulled their goalie with three minutes left in the game. The decision would backfire as Bombardier intercepted a pass in his defensive zone. His clear attempt took a fortuitous bounce out of the corner and directly in front of the Chatham's undefended net. Freshman forward Corey Robertson (South Lyon, Mich.), who had sprinted down the ice, deposited the puck for the final goal of the evening, securing the 4-1 victory for the Thunder.
With the victory Trine enters its midseason break. They will not take the ice again until Friday, January 5 when they travel to King's (Pa.) College for a weekend doubleheader.