ANGOLA, Ind. -- The Trine University men's hockey team scored three goals in the first period and cruised to a 4-1 victory over visiting Lawrence University in the opening game of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Harris Cup Playoffs.
An early power play opportunity gave the Thunder their first boost of the contest. Working the power play offense, Junior Brett Piper (Cartier, Manitoba) passed the puck from the point to the right faceoff circle where classmate Brendan Prappas (West Bloomfield, Mich.) was waiting to fire a quick shot at the goal. The puck would ricochet off of sophomore Chace McCardle's (Southgate, Mich.) and into the net giving the team the 1-0 lead.
After winning the ensuing faceoff, the team lost the puck in the neutral zone. Senior Brandon Krumpschmid (Grand Rapids, Mich.) took the puck right back and passed it back into the defensive zone where freshman Tim Organ (Lambertville, Mich.) went up the right wing. He would quickly find the open man in the neutral zone and pass the puck to junior Justin Meers (St. Charles, Mo.) who carried the puck into the offensive zone. He wasted little time rushing the net and firing a shot into the back of the net giving the team the 2-0 lead.
In the 12th minute of the period, the Thunder were on the penalty kill. Prappas poked the puck out of the zone along the boards before heading to the bench to switch. Krumpshmid came up with the loose puck and got behind all but one of the Viking players. He would muscle his way mostly past the final defender to fire a shot from in close on net. The goalie seemed to make the save put the puck went straight in the air and bounced off his back and into the net. The goal is the team's first shorthanded goal of the season and gave the team its 3-0 lead which it would take into the first intermission.
Neither team scored in the second period, but it wasn't for lack of effort on Trine's part. The team posted 18 shots on goal in the period building a 25-20 advantage in the category.
Lawrence found the back of the net for themselves in the seventh minute of the third period. The goal came on the team's fifth power play opportunity of the game and second of the period. It was the lone mark against sophomore Elias Sandholm (Stockholm, Sweden) who played the game in net for the Thunder. He would end the contest with the win and 30 tough saves.
The Vikings pulled their goalie in the final minutes of play, hoping to get an offensive advantage and tie the contest. The plan backfired when sophomore Jackson Clark (Fort Mill, S.C.) fired the puck into the empty net from his own end of the ice, icing the game at 4-1.
The Thunder improve to 18-8 following the victory. They will look to secure a spot in the semifinal round of the Harris Cup Playoffs with a win or tie tomorrow, Saturday, February 19. The game is set to start at 4 p.m.
