Green Knights Charge Late for Win at Trine

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, November 15, 2019 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

ANGOLA, Ind. - St. Norbert College posted some key goals during a late rally to erase a 3-1 deficit en route to a 5-3 win over Trine University in the first game of a two-game Northern Collegiate Hockey Association series at Thunder Ice Arena.

The Green Knights (2-3, 1-2 NCHA) found themselves in dire straits, going down 3-1 on a marker by Trine's Brett Piper at the 9:08 mark of the second period. The goal also came on a delayed penalty, with the Thunder going on the power play after the score. But St. Norbert would get the lift it needed to get back into the game when Tim Nicksic scored on a shorthanded goal at 10:08 to halve the deficit.

St. Norbert would then get a major dose of momentum when Peter Bates scored off helpers from Kurt Black and Peyton Frantti at the 19:59 mark of the second period to knot the score at 3-3.

The score would remained tied until the game's waning moments, when Black puffed the net with 1:14 remaining off assists from Bates and Michael McChesney. Nicksic then capped the win with an empty-net goal with 32 seconds to go.

St. Norbert had the early lead when Michael Spethmann scored unassisted at the 10:18 mark of the first period, but Trine's Brendan Prappas leveled the score just 1:36 later. Prappas scored with 32 seconds left in the first period for a 2-1 Trine lead after 20 minutes.

Black had two assists to give him a three-point game, while Frantti had two assists. Nicksic and Bates had the other multi-point games for the Green Knights.

St. Norbert outshot Trine 38-22, including by a lopsided 30-7 margin in the final two periods. Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play.

Ryan Bontorin made 19 stops for the Green Knights, while Brett Young had 33 saves for the Thunder.