HANCOCK, Mich. -- The Trine University men's hockey team needed extra time but came away with a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) win defeating Finlandia University 3-2 in overtime.
The Thunder scored first in the contest. Senior Ben Lau (Prospect, Ky.) started the play with a shot on goal from the point. The rebound came away from the net and freshman Justin Meers (St. Charles, Mo.) cashed in for the goal. The team would take the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The Lions roared back in the ninth minute of the second period coming up with two goals in under a minute and a half to take the lead at 2-1.
Trine rebounded inside of the period tallying a goal of their own at the 15-minute mark of the stanza. Freshman Justin Hendrickson (Marquette, Mich.) started the play with a shot of his own. Sophomore TJ Delaney (St. Louis, Mo.) finished off the play with a goal, tying the game at 2-2.
Both teams went scoreless in the third period and they entered overtime tied at 2-2.
In the third minute of the extra period, the Thunder came up with the game-winning goal. Sophomore William Casey (Eagle River, Alaska) cleaned up a loose puck in front of the net to tally the score. Sophomore Brandon Krumpschmid (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Hendrickson added assists on the goal.
In net, senior Brett Young (Livonia, Mich.) picked up 23 saves during the game.
The Thunder improve to 8-7-1 overall and 6-4-1 in NCHA play. They will face off with Finlandia again tomorrow, Saturday, January 18. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.