On October 3 and 4 the Purdue Northwest D2 Hockey Team took on the University of Indiana in a two-game series where the Pride would drop game one 3-0 but bounce back and have a strong showing in game two winning 6-3.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (3-1), Indiana (1-2)
• Location: Bloomington, Indiana/Hammond, Indiana
• Two Game Series

Game One
Inside the Numbers

• John Hughes (Noblesville, Ind./) (Lockport, Ill.) played the full 60 minutes in goal for Purdue Northwest, stopping 42 of 44 shots faced.
• Despite a strong effort from Hughes, the Pride were unable to find the back of the net, with Indiana scoring three times to secure the win.
• Fynn O'Neill (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/) (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) and the Pride offense generated several opportunities, recording 23 total shots on goal.
• Discipline played a factor as Purdue Northwest was assessed 10 penalty minutes across five players.
• Indiana University's scoring was led by Davis Jegers, Andrew Chambers, and Matthew Schmidt, each netting one goal apiece.
• Evan Tompkins earned the shutout in goal for Indiana, making 23 saves in 59 minutes of action.

 The Breakdown

• Indiana struck three times, with goals from Davis Jegers, Andrew Chambers, and Matthew Schmidt to build a lead that held through all three periods.
• Purdue Northwest generated 23 shots on goal but couldn't convert, despite a strong performance from goaltender John Hughes (Noblesville, Ind./) who stopped 42 of 44 shots.
• Indiana goaltender Evan Tompkins secured the shutout, turning aside all 23 shots faced to lock in the win.

 
Game Two
Inside the Numbers

• John Hughes (Noblesville, Ind./) stood tall in goal for Purdue Northwest, playing all 60 minutes and stopping 29 of 32 shots.
• The Pride offense broke through for six goals, highlighted by multi-point efforts from Blake Witkowski (Thompson, Conn.) (2 goals) and Fynn O'Neill (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/) (1G, 1A).
• Purdue Northwest spread the scoring with goals from Keegan Dickinson (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), Collin Kozijn (Leduc, Alberta/), and Brayden Mitchell (Chesterfield, Mo./), while Sam Snider (Johnstown, PA/) and Savva Verbetskii (Ekaterinburg, Russia/) each added two assists.
• Indiana's offense was paced by Jake Rock, who recorded two goals and one assist, while Andrew Chambers added a goal and assist of his own.
• Special teams and discipline played a role as both sides combined for over 20 penalty minutes.
• Indiana goaltender Hayden Reuhl faced heavy pressure, allowing six goals on 31 shots in the full 60 minutes of action.

 The Breakdown

• Purdue Northwest struck first midway through the opening frame as Collin Kozijn (Leduc, Alberta/) put the Pride on the board at 11:06 with helpers from Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill./) and Sam Snider (Johnstown, PA/). However, Indiana responded with pressure late in the period, and Jake Rock scored back-to-back goals at 15:26 and 17:22 to send PNW into the first intermission trailing 2–1.
• The Pride ignited offensively in the second, starting with Keegan Dickinson's (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) goal just 3:44 into the period off a setup from Fynn O'Neill (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/). O'Neill continued his strong night by scoring one of his own at 15:07, assisted by Adam Napravnik (Praha, Czech Republic/) and Dave Anderson (Carrolton, Texas), shifting the momentum firmly in PNW's favor.
• Less than two minutes later, Brayden Mitchell (Chesterfield, Mo./) delivered the game-winning goal at 16:33, finishing a play set up by Owen Ott (La Porte, Ind./) and Sam Snider (Johnstown, PA/). With time winding down in the period, Blake Witkowski (Thompson, Conn.) added a short-handed insurance marker at 19:42, assisted by Savva Verbetskii (Ekaterinburg, Russia/) and Tyson McCaig, giving PNW a commanding 5–2 lead after two.
• Indiana made a push early in the third with Andrew Chambers cutting the deficit at 5:21, but the Pride quickly answered. Witkowski buried his second of the night at 8:58 off feeds from Sean Curtin (Chicago, Ill./) and Verbetskii, sealing a strong offensive performance and locking in the 6–3 win.

Up Next:
The Pride return to the ice Friday October 10 as the host Concordia University (Wis.) at The Kube for game one of a two game series starting at 7:30 PM CT.