GENEVA, Ill. -- Freshman Bobby Price (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) and senior Hunter Payment (Monroe, Mich.) each recorded four points as the Trine University men's hockey team bounced back for an upset victory over their hosts from Aurora University by the score of 6-3.
Both Payment and Price finished the contest with four points, tying for a new program single-game record. Price becomes just the second skater in program history to record a hat trick ending the game with three goals and one assist. Payment finished the game with two goals and two assists.
Payment started off the scoring for the Thunder in just the second minute of the first period. Junior Justin Meers (St. Charles, Mo.) ended up with the puck next to the net and fired a pass out front where Price was able to fire a shot on net. The rebound went out to the point where Payment collected it, before netting a long-range shot to give the team a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth minute the team would add to their lead on the back of Price's first goal of the game. Senior Garrett Hallford (McKinney, Texas) came up with a takeaway in the center of the offensive zone, before skating into the right faceoff circle and taking a shot on goal. The rebound went just in front of the net, where Price was able to collect it and spin around a defender before sliding the puck into the open backdoor.
The Spartans got their first goal of the contest near the halfway mark of the period, cutting the deficit to 2-1 for the first intermission.
Most of the second period was unremarkable, but with just over five minutes remaining the Thunder would expand their lead with a pair of goals in just over a minute.
Hallford started the first goal of the period from near the offensive blue line near the boards. He passed the puck up to the side of the net where Meers was able to zip a pass across the face of the goal to Price who once again had a wide-open look to give the team a 3-1 lead.
With just over four minutes remaining, Price finished off his hat trick. Hallford won an offensive zone faceoff in the right circle back to Payment at the top of that circle. The puck went air born off of Payment's stick as he moved it toward the net ending up just under waist height in between the circles directly in front of the net. Price swung at the air born puck baseball style, just avoiding a high stick call, and put it over the shoulder of the goalie.
Just out of the final intermission of the day, the Thunder built their lead to its largest at 5-1. This time Payment did it without any help, stopping a clear attempt by the Spartan defense just inside the offensive zone and firing the long distance shot into the back of the net.
The next two goals would belong to Aurora, who were ranked eighth in the latest USCHO national poll, as they attempted to stave off the upset by cutting the lead to 5-3. Still trailing by two they were forced to pull their goalie for the extra attacker with three minutes left in the contest. Junior Brendan Prappas (West Bloomfield, Mich.) was able to get behind the Spartan defense and ice the game with 2:21 remaining in the contest by tallying the empty net goal. Payment and sophomore Thad Marcola (Almont, Mich.) added assists on the play.
Sophomore Shane Brancato (Lake Villa, Ill.) played the game in net for the Thunder and recorded his sixth win of the season with 25 saves.
Trine improves to 10-4 overall and 5-3 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) play following the victory. They will return to action on Sunday, January 2 when they travel to face Chatham University for a 2:30 p.m. contest.
