(ST. NORBERT COMMUNICATIONS) DE PERE – St. Norbert College turned in one of its best efforts of the season at the best possible time, claiming a 3-1 win over Aurora University in the championship game of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup Playoffs at Cornerstone Community Center.
The Green Knights (21-6-2) ran their winning streak to a season-high eight games in capturing their 18th NCHA Playoffs championship. St. Norbert, ranked No. 4 in the USCHO.com Division III Poll, also clinched an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament, tying Plattsburgh State University for the most all-time with 23. Aurora (23-5-1) will have to wait to see if it receives one of four at-large berths into the 14-team tournament when the bracket is announced by the NCAA at 9 a.m. Monday.
St. Norbert and Aurora felt each other out in the first 10 minutes before the Green Knights gathered momentum in the second half of the first period. The Green Knights got on the board when Blake Ulve redirected Logan Dombrowsky’s drive for a 1-0 lead at the 12:24 mark. St. Norbert doubled its lead when Calvin Hanson got an unimpeded look and scored cleanly at 18:37 for his 16th goal of the year and a big 2-0 lead heading into first intermission.
The Green Knights added another goal early in the second period, when Ryan Gingher potted a rebound off a Trevor Mitchell shot just 2:13 into the second period. St. Norbert had a minute of 5-on-3 power play time moments after but did not score and later killed off a pair of penalties later in the second period to take a 3-0 lead into the final 20 minutes.
St. Norbert effectively melted the clock in the third period, with Aurora not scoring until Lukas Sedlacek scored at with 2:18 left. The Spartans had 1:18 of extra-attacker time but would get no closer.
Harris Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player Hunter Garvey made 29 saves for the Green Knights. Hanson, Ulve and Jack Christen were also named to the All-Tournament team for the Green Knights.
St. Norbert held a 34-30 advantage in shots on goal. Matt O’Donnell made 31 saves for Aurora.
WOMEN
ADRIAN, Mich. – St. Norbert College fought back but eventually fell 4-3 in overtime to Adrian College in the Northern Collegiate Hockey League’s Slaats Cup Championship game at Arrington Ice Arena.
The Green Knights, who concluded the season with a 18-9-2 record, trailed by two goals in the first period but found their way back into the game with two power-play goals and a late goal in the third period to send the contest into overtime.
Adrian scored its first two goals just several minutes apart in the first period to hold a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. Maddie Madden scored on the power play to make it 2-1 at 8:03 in the second period before the Bulldogs responded with their own extra-attacker goal at 11:34 in the second.
Hannah Grabinowski (pictured) scored St. Norbert’s second power-play goal of the period at 15:15 as Adrian led 3-2 after the second stanza. Tristan Wicklund finally leveled the game for the Green Knights at 12:59 in the third period, which was enough to force overtime for a second straight year between the two foes. Adrian eventually got the best of St. Norbert in the extra period, with Hunter Reardon scoring the winner at 2:09.
Adrian outshot the Green Knights 37-23. Keira Markell made 33 stops for St. Norbert, while Kiera Stack had 20 saves for the Bulldogs.
St. Norbert went 2-for-5 on the power play. Adrian was 1-for-3.
Comments