TOLEDO, Ohio -- The Trine University women's hockey team took the ice outdoors for the first time in program history facing off with nationally-ranked Adrian College on the Marathon Outdoor Rink at Fifth Third Field. The Bulldogs were too much for the Thunder and the team would return home with a 6-1 loss.
"We didn't get the outcome we wanted, against a strong Adrian team," said head coach Tom Hofman, "But the experience and opportunity to play outdoors is something we will never forget, that's for sure."
During the first ten minutes both teams needed time to get used to the outdoor setting, with the lone goal coming for the Bulldogs in the fourth minute of play.
The Thunder knotted the contest with a goal of their own in the tenth minute. Sophomore Michelle Byker (Gurnee, Ill.) scored the goal, her second of the season with classmate Grace Hicks (Layton, Utah) adding the assist.
From there the game fell into the hands of the Bulldogs as they would score two more goals in the first and then three in the second to build their final lead of 6-1. The third period saw Adrian kill off a five-minute major penalty without surrendering a goal as they secured the victory.
Trine ends the day 4-10-1 overall following the non-Northern Collegiate Hockey Association loss. They will continue their season when they host Finlandia University for a weekend double-header beginning on Friday, January 14 at 7 p.m. The return to NCHA play will also be the team's "Pink the Rink" night.