Last weekend, the Purdue Northwest D2 Hockey Team opened a two-game series against Adrian College with a dominant 5–2 road victory at Arrington Ice Arena before completing the sweep with a 6–4 win at the Kube Sports Complex the following afternoon.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (17-5), Adrian College (11-9)
• Locations: Adrian, Michigan & Hammond, Indiana
• Two-Game Series

Game One
Inside the Numbers

• Purdue Northwest goaltender Luka Krstulovich (Frankfort, Ill./) earned the win, stopping 23 shots in a full 60-minute performance.
• The Pride scored five goals from JT Verdino (Rutherford, N.J./), RJ Swaw (Orland Park, Ill./), Alex Moon (Wyandotte, Mich./Wyandotte), Collin Kozijn (Leduc, Alberta/), and Kozijn again late in the second period.
• Assists were recorded by Zach Cestero (Estero, Fla./), Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill./), Adam Napravnik (Praha, Czech Republic/), Fynn O'Neill (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/), and Swaw, highlighting another balanced offensive effort for PNW.
• PNW finished 1-for-5 on the power play while holding Adrian to 0-for-6 with the man advantage.

The Breakdown

• Purdue Northwest jumped out quickly, opening the scoring just 56 seconds into the game when JT Verdino (Rutherford, N.J./) finished a setup from Zach Cestero (Estero, Fla./) and Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill./).
• At 13:20 of the first, RJ Swaw (Orland Park, Ill./) doubled the lead, burying a chance created by Collin Kozijn (Leduc, Alberta/) and Cestero to make it 2–0.
• Adrian responded with two goals later in the period to even the score at 2–2 heading into the first intermission.
• The Pride took control in the second period. On the power play at 2:09, Alex Moon (Wyandotte, Mich./Wyandotte) restored the lead with a goal assisted by Fynn O'Neill (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/) and Adam Napravnik (Praha, Czech Republic/).
• At 10:59, Verdino struck again to push the lead to 4–2 before Kozijn added his second of the night at 14:59, finishing a feed from Swaw to cap the scoring.
• PNW shut things down defensively in the third period, preserving the 5–2 road victory.

 
Game Two
Inside the Numbers

• Purdue Northwest split time in net, with Elias Johansson (Gothenburg, Sweden) making 8 saves in the opening period before Luka Krstulovich (Frankfort, Ill./) stopped 30 shots over the final 40 minutes to earn the win.
• The Pride offense exploded for six goals from Dave Anderson (Carrolton, Texas), Collin Kozijn (Leduc, Alberta/), Brayden Mitchell (Chesterfield, Mo./), Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill./), Sam Snider (Johnstown, PA/), and Behnke again late in the third.
• Assists came from Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill./), Adam Napravnik (Praha, Czech Republic/), Zach Cestero (Estero, Fla./), Fynn O'Neill (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/), JT Verdino (Rutherford, N.J./), Alex Moon (Wyandotte, Mich./Wyandotte), RJ Swaw (Orland Park, Ill./), and Jordan Degouw.
• PNW went 3-for-10 on the power play, while Adrian converted once on 10 opportunities.

The Breakdown

• Adrian came out strong, scoring four times in the opening period to take a 4–1 lead.
• PNW got on the board late in the first at 13:06 on the power play, when Dave Anderson (Carrolton, Texas) finished a play set up by Behnke and Swaw.
• The Pride flipped the momentum in the second period. Collin Kozijn (Leduc, Alberta/) scored just 1:17 into the frame, followed by power-play goals from Brayden Mitchell (Chesterfield, Mo./) at 9:58 and Jacob Behnke (South Elgin, Ill./) at 12:19 to give PNW a 4–3 lead.
• Purdue Northwest extended the advantage in the third period. Sam Snider (Johnstown, PA/) made it 5–4 at 6:35, finishing a setup from Swaw and Napravnik.
• Behnke sealed the win at 16:53, scoring his second goal of the night off assists from JT Verdino (Rutherford, N.J./) and Alex Moon (Wyandotte, Mich./Wyandotte) to complete the 6–4 comeback victory.

Up Next
The Purdue Northwest D2 Hockey Team returns to action Friday, January 30 as they head to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to take on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.