ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's hockey team needed overtime but secured the sweep of visiting Marian (Wis.) University with a 3-2 win. The Thunder now advance to their fifth-straight Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Harris Cup Semifinals contest.
The Sabres struck first in today's contest, finding the back of the net in the final seconds of the first period. That 1-0 lead looked like it would last through the second, until the Thunder finally responded in the final two minutes of the period.
Max Marquette set up the goal with a hustle play that kept the puck in the offensive zone. He caught up to a clear attempt just before the blueline spinning immediately and firing a pass along the boards. Evan Carroll collected the puck behind the net and popped his own pass directly next to the near side of the net. Brendan Hill had only to poke by the goalie's skate for the score.
The Thunder took the lead in the ninth minute of the final period. Hill deflected a pass in the defensive zone, letting Lem Vardy gain possession with space around him. He made a spectacular full ice pass to Carroll who finished the play with a shot across the face of the goal.
The Sabres weren't ready for their season to end, finding the back of the net themselves in the 15th minute of the period. That goal ended up sending the game to overtime after the final minutes were scoreless.
Two minutes into the extra time, Marian cleared the puck from their defensive zone, with Kyle Kozma settling the puck behind the net. Rather than waiting for a skater to come to him, Kozma fired a pass up the boards. Hill was waiting in neutral ice to chip the puck out to Brody Simko who finished off a breakaway chance for the win.
In addition to earning the assist on the final goal, Kozma tallied 23 saves in the game.
The Thunder improve to 18-7-2 overall after the win. They will travel to face second-seeded St. Norbert College next weekend. The semifinal contest is scheduled for Saturday, February 28 with gametime still to be announced.
