ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's hockey team scored in each period, but came up just short of visiting Aurora University with the game ending with a 4-3 score in favor of the visitors. Three different members of the team scored goals in the contest.
The Thunder scored first in the contest coming in the fourth minute of play during one of the team's flurries of offense. After winning an offensive zone faceoff sophomore Tim Organ settled the puck near the far faceoff circle. He then passed it forward to freshman Sam Antenucci who fired a shot wide of the net. Senior Brett Piper settled it again and skated behind the net before quickly exchanging passes with Antenucci to end up directly in front of the net with the puck. Piper put his shot home to take the 1-0 lead.
During the rest of the period Trine showered the opposition in shots and dominated the time of possession. The team finished the period with 17 shots on goal to the Spartans four.
A mistake in the 15th minute gave the visitors their first power play opportunity of the game and they took full advantage of it, working the puck around the back of the goal and knotting the game with just over five minutes remaining in the period. The 1-1 score would hold into the first intermission.
Aurora struck first in the second period, scoring on a breakaway attempt to take their first lead of the game with 14:35 remaining.
The Thunder responded just under three minutes later. After the Spartans came up with the puck in their own defensive end, senior Frank Trazzera harried the defender to force an early pass toward the blueline. Sophomore Drew Welsch was in the right spot to scoop up the free puck and fire a shot over the right shoulder of the goalie, tying the game again at two.
Once again Trine would handily outshoot the opposition in the period, 13-5, but once again each team only scored the one goal and the teams took the 2-2 score into the second intermission.
Just over two minutes into the final period, the Spartans took advantage of another powerplay to retake the lead at 3-2.
Once again, the home team quickly responded. Around 40 seconds after the goal, junior Beau Binnie wrestled the puck away from the opposition in the offensive zone. He quickly passed it off to senior Jared Domin putting him into a 2-on-1 opportunity. Domin would pass it behind the defender to classmate Justin Meers who buried the puck in the wide open backdoor.
The 3-3 score held for the next 16 minutes, until the Thunder took another penalty giving Aurora another power play chance. Once again, for the third of seven chances, the visitors scored on the chance, taking a 4-3 lead.
Despite a minute of empty net play for Trine, most of which was spent in the offensive zone, that score would go final, giving the team their first loss of the season.
The Thunder fall to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) play. They will look to bounce back tomorrow, Saturday, November 5 with a second game against Aurora. Opening puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m.