ANGOLA, Ind. – Senior Bobby Price recorded the second hat trick of his career, in his 100th game, to lead the nationally-ranked Trine University men's hockey team to a 7-1 victory over Lake Forest College. The Senior Night win saw all seven senior members of the team appear on the scoresheet.
Brendan Finn opened the scoring in the game with a goal just under two minutes into the first period. Jack Cooper poked the puck away from a scrum on the defensive boards, allowing Michael DiPietra to skate up the ice and into the offensive zone. He connected on a pass from just over the blueline to give Finn the chance on goal.
The team added to their lead with Price's first goal of the game in the 16th minute. Kyle DeMarco earned the first assist on the goal, by carrying the puck around the boards and behind the net, before passing it to Blake Tierney in the far circle. Tierney fired a shot that rebounded off the goalie and ended up on the stick of Price just outside the crease.
The lone goal of the second period went to the Foresters cutting the deficit to one at 2-1. The team scored with the aid of a power-play in the final minute of the stanza.
The Trine offense exploded in the third period, scoring five goals to build their final lead of 7-1. Price completed the second leg of his hatty in the second minute of the period with aid from two other seniors. After a contested faceoff win in the offensive zone, Kyle Watson took back the puck behind the net before passing it in front of the goal. It rattled off Tyler Blanchard before ending up on the stick of Price who made a pair of shots on goal with the second finding he back of the net.
Two more seniors helped score the next goal. Drew Welsch forced a turnover in the neutral zone before handing the puck off to classmate Tim Organ. Organ skated into the offensive zone before making a pass to Finn on the far side of the ice. Finns pass back went just outside the crease allowing Organ to drag his stick along the ice and tip it home for the goal.
In the ninth minute of the period, Ethan Janda was held on this way toward the goal signally a delayed penalty call. The loose puck ended up on the stick of Tyler Fox, the final senior to reach the scoresheet, who passed it back to the front of the net. Price buried the shot into the back of the net, securing his hat trick and giving the team a 5-1 lead.
Four minutes later the Logan Furstenau and Cooper combined to push the puck away from the boards in the neutral zone with DiPietra collecting the loose puck. The sophomore went well into the offensive zone before firing a pinpoint shot around a defender. The puck bounced off the crossbar and into the goal for the 6-1 lead.
Finn finished off the scoring in the 19th minute of the period, taking the puck the length of the ice for an unassisted goal.
The final senior to affect the game was Cristian Wong-Ramos who played the game in net for the Thunder. He finished with 17 saves in the win.
Following the game, Trine recognized the class of 2025 for their contributions to the hockey program. The group of seniors will leave trine ad the winningest class in program history, owning the four highest season win totals. They are also on pace to boast the four best offensive seasons, with records for goals, assists and points.
This season the team continues to pace the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) standings, currently holding a 16-2-1 overall record and a 10-1-1 record in conference. The team will face the second-placed team in the standings next week when they hit the road for Aurora University. The Spartans are currently ranked fourth in the national poll, one spot ahead of the Thunder, but trail in the NCHA standings by two points. Game one of the doubleheader is set for 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET on Friday, January 31.
