ANGOLA, Ind. – This past weekend the Trine University ACHA D2 men's hockey team split a home stand doubleheader with Indiana University.
On Friday, the Thunder earned a 2–0 shutout, for their first victory of the season. Junior goaltender Kyle Diehr was outstanding, turning aside all 32 shots to secure his first shutout of the season.
The offense struck early when senior Chancellor Coger buried one eight minutes into the first, assisted by freshman Tyler Riegle, who earned his first collegiate point. Late in the second, sophomore Andrew Kieffer added an insurance tally, with assists credited to junior Josh Danielowski and freshman Sam Krauhs, who also recorded his first college point.
Saturday saw the teams faceoff again in a high-paced rematch, with the Thunder battling through momentum swings before ultimately falling to the Indiana Hoosiers, 5–4. After going down early in the first, Trine capitalized on a 5-on-3 powerplay when junior Josh Danielowski struck for the equalizer, assisted by junior defenseman Blake Polifka.
Trailing 2–1 for much of the second, the Thunder's offense erupted with three goals in just over three minutes. Freshman forward Trenton Gebben-Thompson scored his first collegiate goal, assisted by senior defenseman Nate Rider, to tie the game at 2–2. Moments later, Polifka added to the surge, finishing off a play from sophomore defenseman Joe Jennings and junior forward Adam Brown. Senior forward William Nilsson rounded out the second-period run, giving the Thunder a 4–2 lead heading into the third.
Ultimately, the scoring burst wasn't enough to keep Indiana at bay, as the Hoosiers had three unanswered goals in the third period to complete the comeback. Despite the loss, junior goaltender Kyle Diehr was again stellar, turning aside 43 of 48 shots to keep the Thunder in the fight.
"The weekend showcased strong goaltending, timely scoring, and milestone firsts for several players," said head coach Brennon Wachter, "With contributions coming from both veterans and newcomers, I'm excited for the rest of the season as we continue to build momentum."
The Thunder look to build off a strong opening-weekend split with the reigning 2024 National Champion Hoosiers as they prepare to host another in-state opponent, Indiana Tech University this upcoming weekend. Game one is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, October 3 while puck drop on Saturday, October 4 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Both games will take place inside of Thunder Ice Arena.
