Longley's Goal Holds Up as SNC Advances to NCHA Peters Cup Final

From Sports Information Director, March 1, 2008 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

GREEN BAY - Brandon Longley's first-period goal held up as the only score of the game as St. Norbert College tipped the College of St. Scholastica 1-0 in a hard-fought Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Peters Cup semifinal game at the Cornerstone Community Center.

Kyle Jones made 28 saves to post his third consecutive shutout, his eighth of the season and the 23rd of his career. Jones, who now has three consecutive shutouts for the third time in his career (and only the fifth time in NCAA Division III history) came up big several times during the game, including a 15-save second period and helping kill a 5-on-3 situation in the third period.

Jones now has a consecutive shutout sequence of 217 minutes 42 seconds, the third longest in Division III history. Jones has three of the top four shutout sequences, including the record of 337:22. His eight shutouts this season also give him the outright NCAA season record at the Division III level.

Longley's goal came at 6:18 of the first period, when he poked a rebound five-hole past St. Scholastica goaltender Tyler Johnson off an initial Steven Sleep shot. Sleep and Tyler Allen got assists on the goal and helped initiate a 2-on-1 breakout which generated Sleep's shot on Johnson.

The rest of the way was an exercise in disciplined hockey by St. Scholastica in its zone. The Saints did not give the Green Knights much space or time for another quality scoring chance, and killed off a 5-on-3 situation in the second period.

Fortunately for St. Norbert, Jones was on the top of his game down the stretch. St. Scholastica pulled Johnson with 1:10 left for an extra attacker, but the Green Knights cleared the zone and just missed an empty-net opportunity on one occasion. The Saints did not get a quality scoring chance with the extra man.

Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play and took six penalties a side.

The Green Knights are now unbeaten in their last 25 games, going 21-0-4 since a 4-2 loss to Gustavus Adolphus on Nov. 3.