Bradshaw's Goal Lifts St. Norbert Past UW-Eau Claire

From Sports Information Director, November 18, 2014 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - In a game featuring the possessors of the last four NCAA Division III national championships, St. Norbert College pulled out a 3-2 win over UW-Eau Claire in a non-conference game at Cornerstone Community Center.

The Green Knights (6-0-1), ranked No. 1 in the USCHO.com Division III Poll, won the most recent three of its four total national titles in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Eau Claire (3-1-1), ranked No. 9, won the 2013 crown.

St. Norbert snapped a 2-2 with 25 seconds left in regulation time when Cullen Bradshaw pushed home the game-winning goal, his third marker of the season. Fiala and Higgins assisted on the marker. Eau Claire was only able to get an extra attacker on the ice for the final nine seconds of the game and couldn't muster a goal.

Eau Claire took a 1-0 lead when R.J. Majkozak scored just 3:42 into the game. St. Norbert had two power plays in the first period come up empty, and went on a third at the 16:58 mark after Eau Claire's David Henry was called for crosschecking Chris Rial. The hit shattered the glass, and the first intermission was taken early to allow the rink crew time for cleanup and replacement.

St. Norbert used the opportunity to score a power-play goal 10 seconds into the man advantage, with Erik Cooper scoring at 17:08 off assists from Ross Pavek and Mason Baptista. Tanner Froese would put the Green Knights ahead 2-1 at 18:33 when he scored an even-strength tally, his third of the year. Baptista and Rial assisted.

Neither team scored in the second period, and St. Norbert killed off 1:40 of 5-on-3 power-play time for Eau Claire early in the frame. Eau Claire would tie the game at 9:57 of the third period on a goal by Jake Hopfner.

St. Norbert outshot Eau Claire 30-15. David Jacobson made 13 saves for St. Norbert to remain unbeaten on the season at 5-0. Jay Deo made 27 saves for Eau Claire. St. Norbert was 1-for-6 on the power play, while Eau Claire was 0-for-4.