The #16 Purdue Northwest ACHA DI Hockey team split a physical, high-intensity home-and-home series with #14 Hope College, opening the weekend with a statement shutout win at home during The MANE Event before falling on the road in a special teams heavy rematch.

The Basics

• Records: #16 Purdue Northwest, #14 Hope College
• Location: The MANE Event – Hammond, Indiana (Game 1) and Holland, Michigan (Game 2)

Game 1 – Purdue Northwest 2, Hope 0

Inside The Numbers

• PNW was outshot 50–29 but controlled the game defensively when it mattered most.
• Both teams were held scoreless on the power play, combining to go 0-for-11.
• Sophomore Savva Verbetskii (Ekaterinburg, Russia) and sophomore Carson Finney (Holt, Mich./) scored the Pride's two goals.
• Sophomore Kolin Leduc (Macomb, Mich./), junior Jared Topil (Lincoln, Neb./), sophomore Baden Powell (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/), and junior Cooper Knott (Glenwood Springs, Colo./) each recorded assists.
• Freshman Caleb Kril (Whitmore Lake, Mich.) turned aside all 50 shots faced for a complete-game shutout.
• The teams combined for 26 penalty minutes in a chippy, playoff-style contest.

The Breakdown

• PNW struck first late in the opening period as Verbetskii finished a setup from Leduc and Topil at 16:26 to give the Pride a 1–0 lead.
• Hope pushed hard in the second period, firing 15 shots, but Kril stood tall to keep the shutout intact.
• Finney doubled the lead midway through the second, capitalizing on a feed from Powell and Knott to make it 2–0.
• The third period belonged to Hope on the shot clock, but PNW's defensive structure and goaltending never cracked.
• Kril closed the door with several key saves late, sealing one of the most complete defensive efforts of the season for the Pride.

Game 2 – Hope 4, Purdue Northwest 2

Inside The Numbers

• Shots were nearly even, with PNW holding a 34–32 edge.
• Hope converted three power-play goals and added a shorthanded tally.
• PNW went scoreless on eight power-play opportunities.
• Leduc and junior Chase Solberg (Anchorage, Alaska/) scored for the Pride.
• Freshman Caleb Kril (Whitmore Lake, Mich.) made 21 saves before giving way to senior Cooper Olson (Maple Grove, Minn./), who stopped all seven shots he faced in relief.
• The game featured 90 combined penalty minutes and multiple misconducts.

The Breakdown

• Hope grabbed momentum late in the first period with a shorthanded goal, then added a power-play tally just over two minutes later to take a 2–0 lead.
• The Flying Dutchmen extended the advantage early in the second with two more power-play goals, putting PNW in a 4–0 hole.
• Leduc finally got the Pride on the board at 6:09 of the second, finishing a play from Brock Behrend (Luverne, Minn.) and Cooper Olson (Maple Grove, Minn./).
• PNW continued to push in the third, cutting the deficit to two when Solberg scored midway through the frame.
• Despite sustained pressure and a strong push late, the Pride couldn't find the equalizer as Hope protected the lead down the stretch.

Up Next

• Purdue Northwest competes in their final regular season games when they take on Roosevelt in a home-and-home series. The Pride host the Lakers on Friday, February 13 with puck-drop at 7:30 at The Kube in Hammond, Indiana and then the following day hit the road to take on Roosevelt at 7:00 PM CT in Chicago, Illinois.