Green Knights Win Series Opener Over Lawrence

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, February 16, 2018 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College got a leg up on Lawrence University in the first game of a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup Playoffs Quarterfinal Series with a 3-1 victory at Cornerstone Community Center.

The Green Knights (21-4-1) can clinch the series with a win or tie over the Vikings (10-14-2) in Game 2 at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cornerstone Community Center. Lawrence needs a win and then a win in the subsequent 20-minute mini-game to steal the series.

St. Norbert needed just over 26 minutes to break through, getting a goal at 6:07 of the second period when Luke Karakas capitalized on a Vikings' turnover and tucked the puck just inside the post for his second goal of the season.

That goal would hold up until the third period, when St. Norbert would take a 2-0 lead on a 5-on-3 power-play goal by Peter Bates, his 10th overall goal this season. The Vikings would counter at 13:40 when Josh Koepplinger finished off a combination to score through the back door for a power-play marker. St. Norbert would get an insurance goal at 17:26 when Tanner Froese's hard drive to the net resulted in his 10th goal of the season.

Lawrence would have a power play late in the game and also had 1:24 of extra-attacker time but couldn't cut into its two-goal deficit.

Bates had an assist to give him two points, while Luke Davison finished with two assists.

St. Norbert outshot Lawrence 42-22. T.J. Black made 21 saves for the Green Knights, while Evan Cline made 39 stops for the Vikings.

The Green Knights were 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Vikings were 1-for-4.