Purdue Northwest found themselves on the defensive less than a minute into the game when they were whistled for a penalty. PNW was able to kill off the penalty and keep the game scoreless. After a flurry of action in the UWO zone, Jacob Behnke put home a pass from JT Verdino, allowing PNW to break onto the scoreboard at 3:38. PNW kept the pressure up and Brayden Mitchell snuck a pass five hole to put PNW up by two at 8:16. UWO found the penalty box on a tripping call at 8:54. Like PNW earlier in the period, they were able to come away unscathed. Five on five play was short lived as another UWO penalty, interference on Drake Maberg, was called at 11:42. Once again, PNW, despite a couple of quality chances, could not add to their lead. Adam Napravnik took a rebound off a shot by Flynn O’Neill and hit the open net, putting PNW up 3-0 with 3:27 left in the first period. UWO got another shot on the power play at 18:37.

 

PNW took another penalty with two seconds remaining before the first intermission. So, period two started with UWO having 37 seconds of 5-on-3 to get that elusive first goal. Unfortunately for UWO, they were not able to capitalize and remained down three. At 4:57 PNW would once again go back down one skater, this time on a cross-checking penalty. After the previous penalties produced no goals, things would change with this one. Thirteen seconds in, RJ Swaw snapped off a wrister from the left circle into the upper left corner to extend the PNW lead to four. Then UWO mishandled a pass on their offensive blue line which gave Collin Kozijn a breakaway. He successfully navigated the opportunity to give PNW their second shorthanded goal and put PNW up by five. The string of PNW penalties ended when UWO went to the box at 14:05. PNW’s special team’s unit came through after 38 second of man advantage. Their sixth goal was scored by Mitchell, off an assist by O’Neill.

 

Period three started with PNW holding a substantial 6-0 lead. Mitchell found the net for the third time, beating an outstretched Isaac Andrich at 8:26, while the teams were battling 4-on-4. The PNW penalty kill unit stayed perfect, killing off an interference penalty whistled at 10:35. With 2:57 left in regulation Nate Cheney fed Mitchell, waiting on the top of the crease, who slid home the easy goal, finishing off PNW’s 8-0 victory.