ANGOLA, Ind. -- A pair of power play goals was enough for the Trine University women's hockey team as they finished the season sweep of Finlandia University with a 2-0 shutout victory.
The fourth game in five days seemed to take its toll on both teams with neither looking particularly sharp in the first period. The two teams combined for just eleven shots on goal and neither team found the back of the net.
The Thunder started to find their footing in the second period. They would outshoot the Lions 13-7 in the period and finally found the back of the net in the waning minutes.
Working the power play offense, senior Kirsten Vandenheuvel (Denfield, Ontario) passed the puck to the boards outside the near faceoff circle. From there freshman Payton Hans (Johnson Creek, Wis.) would fire a shot toward the goal which looked to be headed wide of the mark until classmate Kailey Mleko (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) deflected it into the back of the net giving the team a 1-0 lead.
The Thunder added an insurance goal in the opening minutes of the final period to build the lead to 2-0. Once again on the power play, senior Brandi Wilson (Fenton, Mich.) fired the puck toward the goal before heading for the bench. Mleko received the pass in close but rather than putting a shot toward the goalie she instead passed it across the face of the net. Freshman Anabelle Scriver (Holt, Mich.) was there to finish off the play with a backdoor goal.
From there the defense held firm holding the opposition to just 18 total shots on goal, all of which were turned aside by freshman Ryleigh Furlong (Lakeville, Minn.) who earned her sixth win and her second shutout of the season.
The pair of victories move the team into a tie for sixth place in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) standings. They currently sit with a 7-15-1 overall record and a 4-9-1 record in the NCHA.
The team will finish out the regular season by heading to face Lawrence University. The first game of the weekend doubleheader is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 18.