ANGOLA, Ind. -- The Trine University men's hockey team scored first in the contest but a devastating second period led to a runaway win by the visiting team from Adrian College. The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association leading Bulldogs finished off with a 10-3 victory over the Thunder.
Trine started the game on the offensive and caught Adrian on their heels. In the fifth minute of play, the team hit paydirt to take the lead. After a steal in the neutral zone, the Thunder threw the puck into the offensive end where sophomore Brandon Prappas (West Bloomfield, Mich.) tied up with a defender behind the net. Junior Jared Domin (Novi, Mich.) freed up the puck and fired a pass to the front of the net where sophomore Justin Meers (St. Charles, Mo.) was waiting to score the goal through the five-hole.
The lead would last for most of the rest of the first period. In the 17th minute, the Bulldogs came up with their first goal of the game. They then took advantage of a power-play opportunity to take the lead in the 19th minute of the period.
Following the pair of goals, Trine entered the intermission trailing 2-1.
The second period was dominated by the visiting team. All told Adrian would score six goals in the stanza and build a demanding 8-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
They built that lead to 9-1 in the eighth minute of the final period. This time however the Thunder responded. Meers carried the puck into the offensive zone to start the play before passing it off to Prappas in front of the net. Outnumbered Prappas passed it out to Domin who timed it perfectly before passing it back inside to Prappas who scored the goal as he fell to the ice.
Adrian would score again in the 18th minute to build the deficit back to eight. In the final minute of play, senior Chris Garrity (Stafford, Va.) came up with a steal at center ice and carried the puck into the offensive zone before passing it off to Garrett Hallford (McKinney, Texas) who was trailing just off his left side. Hallford would shoot the puck past the Adrian goalie's glove side for the final goal of the game.
Following the 10-3 loss the Thunder fall to 1-8-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the NCHA (the team's two victories by forfeit over Lake Forest do not count toward their overall record).
Trine will finish off the regular season by traveling to face Adrian again tomorrow, Saturday, March 6 with the game scheduled to start at 5 p.m.