Fiala's Overtime Game-Winner Gives St. Norbert Win

From Sports Information Director, February 13, 2015 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

ASHLAND - Senior defenseman Marian Fiala scored 32 seconds into overtime to lift St. Norbert College to a 4-3 win over Northland College in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at Bay Area Civic Center.

The Green Knights (16-5-2, 12-4-1 NCHA) can clinch the No. 2 seeding for the NCHA Harris Cup Playoffs if it beats the Lumberjacks (3-17-4, 3-12-2) in the regular-season finale Saturday. It was St. Norbert's first overtime win since a 2-1 triumph at College of St. Scholastica on Feb. 8, 2014.

St. Norbert looked like it might have to settle for a tie when Northland's Colby Spoonemore scored the third period's lone marker with exactly 9 minutes remaining in regulation time. Fiala was able to get the game-winning goal off assists from Pijus Rulevicius and Tyler Zepeda on the only shot on goal taken by either team in overtime.

Northland drew first blood, taking a 1-0 lead after the first period on a goal by Timothy Perks at 16:45.

The Green Knights scored three times in the second period. Rulevicius scored a power-play goal at the 4:58 mark, but the Lumberjacks with a goal by Anthony Stempin at 11:05. St. Norbert took a 3-2 lead on goals by Chris Rial at 13:46 and Kyle Lee at 18:05.

The Green Knights outshot the Lumberjacks 17-4 in the third period but couldn't score. St. Norbert held a 50-17 shots-on-goal advantage in the game.

Rulevicius has two assists for a three-point game, while Lee had an assist for a two-point game. Tyler Zepeda added two assists for the Green Knights.

Tony Kujava made 14 saves for St. Norbert, which was 1-for-3 on the power play. Jesse DiLillo made 46 saves for Northland, which did not have a power-play opportunity.

St. Norbert took just one minor penalty in the game, the third time this season and the ninth time in school history that has occurred.