The Purdue Northwest ACHA D2 Hockey team kicked off their 2024-2025 season with a two-game series against Marquette University this Thursday and Friday. The Pride dropped the first game 5-3 but bounced back with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory in game two, splitting the series.

The Basics 
•    Records: Purdue Northwest (1-1), Marquette University (1-1) 
•    Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
•    Two Game Series

Game One
Inside the Numbers 
•    Adam Napravnik (Praha, Czech Republic) led the Pride with one goal and one assist.  
•    Jordan Degouw scored two goals for the Pride.  
•    Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill.) and Fynn Oneill each recorded one assist on the night.  
•    Vincent Didonato played all 60 minutes in goal, making 31 saves on 35 shots.

The Breakdown 
•    The game started with Purdue University Northwest taking an early lead as Jordan Degouw scored the first goal unassisted at 2:45 in the first period. Marquette University responded on the power play when Jack Rose found the back of the net at 11:48, assisted by Christopher Meininger and Ethan Berger. Marquette then capitalized on another power play, with Matt Mckenna scoring at 16:06, assisted by James Gorman, to take a 2-1 lead into the second period.
•    In the second period, Jordan Degouw tied the game with his second goal at 4:34, assisted by Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill.) and Adam Napravnik (Praha, Czech Republic). Adam Napravnik (Praha, Czech Republic) then gave Purdue the lead at 10:38 with a power-play goal, assisted by Fynn Oneill. However, Marquette equalized shortly after with a goal from Mac Ryan at 12:47, assisted by James Gorman and Frank Shediac.
•    The third period saw intense action as Marquette took the lead again with Jack Rose scoring his second goal, assisted by Christopher Meininger and Chase Breslin, on a power play at 16:03. Marquette sealed the win with an empty-net, short-handed goal by Chase Breslin at 19:29, assisted by Konrad Humke and goaltender Tucker Stepan, ending the game 5-3 in Marquette's favor.

Game Two
Inside the Numbers 
•    Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill.) led the Pride with one goal and one assist.  
•    Jordan Degouw and Gabriel Santamaria (Guernsey, United Kingdom) each scored a goal.  
•    Colin Kozijn contributed two assists, while Alex Moon (Wyandotte, Mich./Wyandotte) and Sam Snider (St. John, Ind.) each added one assist.  
•    Savva Verbetskii (Ekaterinburg, Russia/) also found the back of the net with one goal.  
•    Vincent Didonato played 61 minutes in goal, making 21 saves on 24 shots.

The Breakdown
•    Period one saw no scoring from either team.
•    In the second period, Purdue's Sam Snider (St. John, Ind.) was penalized for tripping at 4:42, allowing Marquette to capitalize on a power play when Chase Breslin scored at 5:42, assisted by Ethan Berger and Jack Rose. Purdue quickly answered with a goal by Gabriel Santamaria (Guernsey, United Kingdom) at 6:17, assisted by Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill.). The Pride took the lead with a power-play goal by Savva Verbetskii (Ekaterinburg, Russia/) at 16:32, assisted by Alex Moon (Wyandotte, Mich./Wyandotte) and Sam Snider (St. John, Ind.).
•    The third period saw Marquette's Joey Maione score two goals, the first at 5:23, assisted by Curtis Bruen, and the second at 11:03, assisted by Graham Robertson and Jake Jana. Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill.) answered back scoring for the Pride at 15:39 on the power play, assisted by Colin Kozijn. The game ultimately headed into overtime, tied at 4-4.
•    In the overtime period, Purdue University Northwest seized the opportunity as Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill.) scored the game-winning goal at 1:39, assisted by Colin Kozijn, bringing the thrilling contest to a close with a 5-4 victory for the Pride.

Up Next
The D2 hockey team hits the ice again on October 4, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin against Marian University. Game time is TBA.