ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's hockey team made it a sweep after defeating visiting Chatham University by the score of 5-3. The Thunder made a comeback of their own before holding off the Cougars to come up with the victory.
The lone goal of the first period went to the visitors following the first penalty of the game. Chatham took advantage of the power play opportunity to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Despite trailing, the Trine offense did show some life putting 15 shots on goal to just 10 by the opposition.
The Thunder scored in the fifth minute of the second period to tie the game. The offense was humming during the stretch, with both Payton Hans and Lauren Lacroix putting back-to-back shots on goal before Aleah Bienek finally scored the goal from the far side of the crease.
The team took their first lead eight minutes later. Dorka Gengeliczky started the play by taking possession of the puck in the defensive zone and attempting to fire a pass to the neutral zone. A Chatham skater got a stick on the puck, but the deflected pass still ended up with Hans in the offensive zone. The senior scored on the breakaway to make the score 2-1.
Hans followed up with another herculean effort to start the third period. Down a skater to a penalty, the Thunder lost the opening faceoff, but Hans wrestled the puck away from the defense and scored on the breakaway.
Trine scored on their own power play later in the period to make it a 4-1 lead. Hans skated around the back of the net and up the far boards to hand it off to Hannah Lambers who skated back down the boards to the side of the far circle. Her pass went to the high slot where Kailey Mleko was waiting to score the goal.
Down by three, the Cougars mounted a comeback attempt of their own with quite a bit of success. The scored once in the sixth minute and once in the 15th minute to cut the deficit to one.
The Thunder ended the attempt in the 18th minute with a fifth goal. Emma-Lyn Stephenson passed the puck from the point to the far circle where Mleko was waiting to make a quick pass of her own. After receiving the puck Ryleigh White scored from the slot. A few minutes later the score went final at 5-3.
Trine improves to 4-2-2 overall following the victory. They remain at home for their next weekend series, returning to Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) play by hosting St. Nobert College. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled for Friday, December 6 at 7 p.m.
