GENEVA, Ill. – The Trine University women's hockey team came up short of their hosts from Aurora University, dropping the game 3-1.
The Spartans scored the only two goals in the first period, building a 2-0 lead for the first intermission. Despite the result it was somewhat of a moral victory for the Thunder as they only gave up the two goals despite being outshot 17-6.
In the second, Aurora added to their lead in the sixth minute of play with a shorthanded goal. Trine scored a goal of their own in the final minutes of the same period. Kailey Mleko notched the tally with Gabrielle Hicks and Payton Hans added assists. The period ended with the score at 3-1.
Neither team scored in the third period, namely because of a herculean effort by Ella Park. The freshman made 23 of her 54 saves in that final period on the way to the final 3-1 result.
Trine falls to 4-15-0 overall and 0-10-0 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) play. They will return home for their next pair of games beginning on Friday, January 26 at 7 p.m. The weekend doubleheader is scheduled against Concordia University Wisconsin.