Green Knights Get Back on Track With Win Over UW-River Falls

From Sports Information Director, February 6, 2009 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

GREEN BAY - St. Norbert College snapped a three-game winless streak with a solid 4-1 victory over UW-River Falls in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at the Cornerstone Community Center.

The Green Knights improved to 16-6-1 overall and 7-4-1 in the NCHA, while the Falcons dropped to 10-12-1, 4-8.

St. Norbert outshot River Falls 36-14 and after breaking a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals, was never seriously threatened.

The Green Knights got on the board first when Nick Tabisz fired a wrister over River Falls goaltender Stephen Ritter's shoulder at the 13:36 mark of the first period. St. Norbert held a 17-4 shots advantage in the first period.

River Falls drew even at 1-1 just 1:19 into the second period on a Derek Hansberry goal, his 16th of the season. Hansberry took a pass through the slot from Grant Everett and beat Blake Bashor backdoor for the score.

St. Norbert would retake the lead at 5:21 of the second on Sam Tikka's unassisted goal. Tikka's shot came from the goal line in the corner, and the puck hit Ritter under his arm and caromed into the net. The Green Knights would score 4:10 later when Dustin Walz dropped a perfect pass into the slot for Tabisz, who fired it home for his second goal of the night.

River Falls had three power plays in the first 13 minutes of the third period but could not draw closer. St. Norbert put the game away with a power-play goal at 17:29 by Steven Pratt, snapping a 1-for-29 skid with the man advantage for the Green Knights.

Matt Boyd finished the game with three assists for St. Norbert, while Tabisz also finished with his first career multi-goal game.

Bashor made 13 saves for St. Norbert, while Ritter made 32 saves. Both teams were 1-for-4 on the power play.