Green Knights Pick Up Key NCHA Win With Shutout of Marian
From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, December 1, 2018 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077
DE PERE - St. Norbert College picked up a big Northern Collegiate Hockey Association win in its final league game before the semester break with a convincing 5-0 victory in a game featuring nationally ranked teams at Cornerstone Community Center.
The Green Knights (8-2-1, 4-2 NCHA), ranked No. 3 in the USCHO.com Division III poll, pulled to within one game of Marian (6-3-1, 5-1 NCHA), ranked No. 14 by USCHO.com, near the top of the NCHA standings.
Following a scoreless first period, St. Norbert entered the second stanza needing to kill off 1 minute 25 seconds of penalty time. The Green Knights then converted a pretty 2-on-1 shorthanded breakaway for the game's first goal, with Steven Phillips feeding Timmy Nicksic at the doorstep just 33 seconds in.
The Green Knights added to their lead at 4:36 of the second period, when Brendon Gysbers' shot from the high slot appeared to handcuff Marian goaltender Hunter Vorva and got past him for a two-goal lead.
St. Norbert struck quickly in the third period, with Dominick Sacco lifting the puck over Vorva's shoulder for an unassisted goal 39 seconds into the action. The Green Knights put the game away with two goals 10 seconds apart - three seconds shy of the school record - late in the third period. Keegan Milligan scored at 13:10, followed by Peyton Frantti at 13:20.
Nicksic and Frantti each had assists to each give them multi-point games.
T.J. Black made 16 saves for the Green Knights for his 16th career shutout. Vorva made 28 saves for the Sabres.
St. Norbert was 0-for-1 on the power play, while Marian was 0-for-2.