ANGOLA, Ind. – After holding a lead in the second period, the Trine University women's hockey team fell behind to the nationally ranked team from Adrian College, dropping the game 5-2.
The Bulldogs scored first in the contest in just the 56th second of the first period and would hold the lead for just under 13 minutes.
That changed when the Thunder received a power play opportunity, after the team carried the puck into the offensive zone, junior Grace Canty (West Bloomfield, Mich.) passed the puck to the corner where senior Emily Moore (London, Ontario) quickly moved the puck back to Canty who was driving toward the net. Canty had just a moment to pass the puck to the front of the net before the defense closed in. The pass was good enough for junior Makena Thompson (Anchorage, Alaska) to settle the puck and force it into the net.
The Thunder would take the lead in the final minute of the first period. After Trine recovered a failed clear by the Bulldogs in the neutral zone, senior Kirsten Vandenheuvel (Denfield, Ontario) passed the puck to the blueline where junior Gabrielle Hicks (Layton, Utah) forced it by the Adrian defense and into the offensive zone. Senior Brandi Wilson (Fenton, Mich.) rushed forward and fired a shot on goal. After an initial save, the puck rebounded and slowly crossed the goal line.
The 2-1 lead would last into the fifth minute of the second period when the Bulldogs tied the game with an unassisted goal off of a defensive zone turnover. They would then take back the lead in the final minute of the same period to enter the second intermission 3-2.
Adrian scored two more goals in the final period to build their lead to 5-2 which would end up being the final deficit.
In net, freshman Ryleigh Furlong (Lakeville, Minn.) finished the game with 50 saves despite receiving the fourth loss of her season.
The Thunder fall to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) following the loss. The team will take a break from NCHA play when they travel to the Cod Fish Tournament hosted by University of Massachusetts – Boston. They will face off with the host school in their first game of the weekend on Saturday, Nov. 27 at noon.
