ANGOLA, Ind. – Sam Antenucci led the way with four points, as the Trine University men's hockey team secured a 5-0 victory over visiting Lawrence University in the opening game of the 2024 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Harris Cup Playoffs.
The Vikings committed the first penalty of the game in just the third minute of play, giving the Thunder an early power play opportunity. It took most of the two minutes, but Antenucci scored the first goal of the game. After a failed clear around the boards was tied up in the corner, Logan Furstenau dug it out of the scrum. Kyle Watson collected the loose puck and passed it to the far faceoff circle where Antenucci was waiting to score.
The second goal came ten minutes later. This time Bobby Price caused a turnover in the neutral zone before passing the puck forward to Antenucci. The sophomore carried the puck into the offensive zone and around the remaining defenders before scoring his second goal of the day.
Neither team scored in the second period, so the score remained at 2-0 as they returned to the ice in the third period.
It took less than a minute for the Thunder to add to their lead. The Vikings dumped the puck into the zone with it ending up in the crease where Cristian Wong-Ramos was waiting. The junior goalie fired a masterful pass that bounced off the boards in the neutral zone and led Thad Marcola into the offensive zone. Marcola deked the opposing goalie and gave the team a 3-0 lead.
In the fifth minute of the period the Thunder ended up with the puck in their defensive zone again. Antenucci settled the puck behind the net, where Tim Organ came to collect it before firing a pass up the ice. Furstenau received the puck in the neutral zone and skated the rest of the way before scoring on the breakaway opportunity.
The final goal of the game came in the ninth minute of the period. Once again Antenucci started the play, this time from the neutral zone. His pass went to Bobby Price who was waylaid on his way across the blueline but was still able to pass the puck forward to Sean Henry. The sophomore went forward a few strides before shooting the puck on goal and through the save attempt.
Wong-Ramos played the full game in net for the team, earning a shutout on eleven saves in addition to the assist.
The Thunder will look to finish off the series tomorrow, Saturday, February 17 at 4 p.m. The team needs a win or tie to advance to the second round of the playoffs. With a loss the series would be decided by a mini-game that would follow tomorrows contest.