DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Trine University women's hockey team secured their first win of the season, defeating the University of Dubuque 5-1 in the first game of the weekend series. Five different members of the team tallied a goal in the contest.
Trine struck first, with the only goal of the first period. Dorka Gengeliczky started the play in trouble, dogged by one of the opposition's skaters inside of the far faceoff circle. She was able to get off a messy pass toward the point, but Ryleigh White had to skate back to the puck to retain possession. The sophomore continued down the boards and around the bottom of the far circle before threading a pass through the defense and into the crease. Olivia Porthan was waiting to bury the close range shot on the backside of the net.
In the 12th minute of the second period the team added to their lead. Faith Jordan collected a loose puck in the defensive zone and weaved her way through the Spartans into the slot before passing the puck back to the near faceoff circle. It went just wide of Lauren Lacroix who went to the boards to tie up the defender who was trying to clear the puck from the zone. Sydney Streb skated down the boards collected the again loose puck and went top corner on the goalie's glove side for the tally.
The goal broke the flood gates with Thunder scoring a total of four goals in a five minute stretch to build a commanding 5-0 lead.
The third goal came later in the 12th minute. After Aleah Bienek won a faceoff back to Gengeliczky at the point, the junior passed the puck to her partner Hannah Lambers who fired a shot toward goal. Cassandra Biblow tipped the puck up and into the net from just outside the crease.
Just another minute later the team scored again. After coming up with the puck in the defensive zone a pass found Chloe Downey near the blueline with space, allowing her to pass again to the center of the ice where Streb was racing forward. With one defender in front of her in the slot, the junior left the puck back near the top of the near faceoff circle. Trailing Lacroix didn't miss the pass this time and buried her shot high on the glove side.
A whole two 90 seconds after that, the team scored their fifth goal. Working the offense in the forward end, a seemingly deflected pass went through the front of the net and off the near boards where Lambers was able to collect it and skate around the back of the net and back toward the blueline. She handed the puck off at the top of the far circle to Gengeliczky who fired her shot from the bottom of that circle and into the back of the net.
The Spartans scored the long goal of the third, but it was the lone blemish for Annie Kindseth who played the game in net. She finished with the win and 36 saves.
The Thunder improve to 1-2-0 overall and 1-2-0 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) play. They will look for a sweep tomorrow, Saturday, November 15 when they face Dubuque again. That contest is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m . CT.
