APPLETON, Wis. – The Trine University women's hockey team bounced back with a 3-0 victory, securing a split against their hosts from Lawrence University.
The Thunder scored the opening salvo of the contest in the 18th minute of the first period. After the puck scooted free of a scrum along the boards of the offensive zone, Sofia Vidmo settled puck behind the red line. She then passed it up to the top of the far faceoff circle where Kailey Mleko was ready to fire the shot into the back of the net.
Neither team scored in the second period, but it was a harrowing experience for the Trine defense. The Vikings led any period of the contest with 15 shots on goal during the stanza, with Annie Kindseth preserving the shutout by saving all of them. She finished the perfect game with 25 saves.
The Thunder padded their lead early in the third period, scoring just 46 seconds after the intermission. The play started when Mleko won a faceoff to her right allowing Lauren Hassler to pass it back to the point for Dorka Gengeliczky. The sophomore defender skated down toward the top of the slot before firing a midrange shot into the back of the net.
Another faceoff win helped the team secure their third goal in the 11th minute of the period. Lauren Lacoix received the puck after a win, but had her initial pass intercepted by the Vikings. She wrestled the puck back into her possession before successfully passing it across the front of the net to the far dot. Mleko was waiting to score on the backside of the goalie, making the score 3-0.
The Thunder held off Lawrence through the remainder of the game, including three minutes with the home team skating with an empty net, to finish with the shutout victory.
Trine improves to 6-9-2 overall and 3-5-2 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) play. They will continue their season when they travel to face Lake Forest College for a pair of games with the first scheduled for 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET on Friday, January 24.
