Late Flurry Powers St. Norbert Past Marian In NCHA Semifinal

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, February 23, 2019 | Men's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College scored five goals in the last nine minutes of the game to claim a wild 6-2 win over Marian University in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup Playoffs semifinal game at Cornerstone Community Center.

The Green Knights (21-4-3) advance to the Harris Cup Championship Game against Adrian College at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at Cornerstone Community Center. The two teams have met in the last four Harris Cup championships, with each team winning twice. This is the first game in the sequence to be played in De Pere.

The game was tied 1-1 with just under nine minutes remaining when Dominick Sacco got loose on a breakaway and finished off the inside of the post to beat Marian goaltender Hunter Vorva at the 11:08 mark. St. Norbert doubled its lead moments later when Peyton Frantti scored a power-play goal at the tail end of a major power-play chance, finishing at 12:51.

Marian pulled Vorva with 4:04 remaining heading into a power play and converted the extra-attacker chance when Jake Howie finished at 16:21. The Green Knights' one-goal lead was short-lived as Steven Phillips - playing in an NCAA Division III-record 120th consecutive game - scored on a wraparound just 19 seconds later to boost the lead back to 4-2.

St. Norbert added empty-net goals from Frantti and Tyler Andrews in the final 74 seconds to salt the game away.

Kurt Black gave the Green Knights the early lead when he cashed in a power-play goal at 9:34 of the first period. The Sabres would knot the game at 1-1 when Connor Blanck corralled a turnover and raced in on a breakaway to score at 6:21 of the second period.

Luke Davison had three assists for three points. Frantti scored two points on his two goals, while Phillips added an assists for a two-point game.

St. Norbert outshot Marian 36-15. T.J. Black made 13 saves while Vorva turned away 30 shots for the Sabres.

The Green Knights were 2-for-10 on the power play, while Marian was 1-for-4.