ADRIAN, Mich. – The Trine University women's hockey team finished the regular season with a 5-1 loss to nationally ranked Adrian College.

The first six minutes of the game went scoreless, before a Bulldog timeout rallied the home side for a goal. Adrian scored two more in the last portion of the stanza to take a 3-0 lead into the intermission.

Claire Schmaltz played the game in net for the Thunder, she made 14 saves in the first period. She led Trine to a shutout performance in the second period recording 19 saves.

The Thunder goal came in the seventh minute of the final period, cutting the lead to 3-1. After a long clear ended up behind the Bulldog goal, Hannah Lambers regained possession and tried to punch a shot on goal. She ultimately retreated and spun toward the near boards before firing a pass to the top of the opposite circle. Abigale Bruner was standing by to fire a long range shot that slipped through defenders and teammates alike before finding the back of the net.

The final two goals of the game went to Adrian sealing the result at 5-1.

Elsewhere in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA), Trine received the help they needed from Aurora University, who defeated the University of Dubuque 9-4. That result secures the Thunder the eighth seed in the upcoming Slaats Cup Playoffs.

The Thunder finish the regular season with a 7-16-2 overall record while finishing NCHA play with a 3-14-1 tally. Trine now face a rematch with the Bulldogs for the opening round of the conference playoffs. The opening round is a best of two format, with a mini-game tiebreaker to be played following game two if necessary. Next weekend's first game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, February 20 in Adrian, Mich.