FOND DU LAC, Wis. -- The Trine University women's hockey team knotted the game in the final seconds of regulation and finished the night with a shootout victory over their hosts from Marian University.
The Thunder stuck first in the contest taking the 1-0 lead. The play started when senior Brandi Wilson (Fenton, Mich.) came up with a faceoff win in the offensive zone moving the puck back to classmate Theresa DiMaggio (Shelby Township, Mich.) who moved in front of the net and fired a shot on goal which was saved. The rebound came out wide where freshman Payton Hans (Johnson Creek, Wis.) was able to collect it and fire it over the goalie's shoulder for the goal.
The lead was short-lived as the Sabres took the ensuing faceoff victory and turned it into a goal of their own tying the contest at one.
Neither team was able to score in the second period, but Marian took a lead of their own with just over six minutes remaining in the game.
Down 2-1 with 2:56 remaining in the game the Thunder pulled their goalie in favor of the extra attacker. The gamble paid off with 38 seconds remaining in the contest. Sophomore Grace Hicks recovered a loose puck in behind the Marian net and put it past the goalie to tie the contest.
The two teams remained tied after the final seconds of the period and the five-minute overtime and the game would end in a 2-2 tie, but the teams would head to a shootout to settle a the matter of the extra point in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) standings.
Neither team cracked the net during the first round, with the Trine shot being saved and Marian throwing their shot wide. Senior Kirsten Vandenheuvel (Denfield, Ontario) took the second attempt for the Thunder and after deking hard to the right she scored over the diving stick hand of the opposition.
Sophomore Abbie Bost (Chelsea, Mich.) finished off her strong game in net with two final saves to give the team the 1-0 shootout win. She finished regular play with 30 saves.
The team finishes the night 1-9-1 overall and 0-4-1-0 in NCHA play. They will finish the weekend doubleheader against Marian tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT.
