Cardinals edge Norwich in hockey

January 09, 2008 04:00 am

— NORTHFIELD, Vt. -- The Plattsburgh State men's hockey team weathered the storm Tuesday night.
And, then the Cardinals pulled one out in the end.
Freshman Dylan Clarke's second goal of the game, with 1:14 remaining in regulation, lifted the Cardinals to a big 3-2 non-conference win over Norwich University at Kreitzberg Arena.
The Cardinals improved to 15-2 overall and defeated the Cadets for the second time this season. Norwich, meanwhile, fell to 8-3 and had its six-game winning streak come to a close.
"This is the first time we've beaten Norwich at Kreitzberg Arena," said Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery. "It was an unbelievable win for us.
"Norwich is a different team at home and this is a big win for our hockey team."
The score was tied at 2-all entering the third period and appeared to be headed for overtime.
Clarke, however, tallied an unassisted goal at the 18:46 mark to make it a happy trip back to Plattsburgh for the Cardinals.
"Clarke is a good goal scorer and he has a nose for the net," said Emery. "And, he showed it tonight."
While a freshman led the Cardinals with two goals, a freshman goaltender -- Bryan Hince -- played a major role in the win.
Norwich outshot Plattsburgh State by a 16-3 margin in the first period. But, all the Cadets had to show for it was a 1-all tie.
Clarke, with Eric Satim assisting, gave the Cardinals the lead at 9:48 with a power-play goal.
But, shortly after, Rick Cleaver tied the score for the Cadets at 11:55.
"We were lucky to get out of the first period," said Emery. "Moff (assistant coach Steve Moffat) and I said leading up to the game that Norwich would be ready to play and their emotion level would be so high.
"We were able to get out of the first because of Bryan Hince. He played well all night, but especially in the first period. We were able to weather the storm and that was important."
The Cadets took a 2-1 lead in the second period on Rico Piatelli's unassisted short-handed goal at 4:18.
At 17:52, however, Satim pulled the Cardinals even with Ryan Corry and Andrew Willock assisting.
Hince stopped 31 of 33 shots between the pipes, while Chance Gieni made 18 saves for the Cadets.
After getting outgunned by a wide margin in the first period, Plattsburgh State held a combined 18-17 edge in shots over the second and third stanzas.
"We had just as many scoring chances as they did in the final two periods," Emery said. "A lot of the first period was Norwich doing a good job forcing us into some mistakes.
"But, we were able to get great leadership tonight, especially in the second and third periods. Our penalty kill was also good."
The Cardinals, who have won three straight to open the second half, are now off before closing out the non-conference portion of their schedule next Tuesday at home against Skidmore.
"It's great to have the rest of the week off and to give the players a few days off," said Emery.
--
Plattsburgh State 3, Norwich 2
Score by periods:
Plattsburgh State 1 1 1 -- 3
Norwich 1 1 0 -- 2
First period- 1, PSU, Clarke ppg (Satim), 9:48. 2, Nor, Cleaver (Lauriault, Anderson), 11:55. Penalties- Viso, Nor (cross-checking), 8:23. Dennis, PSU (slashing), 15:30.
Second period- 3, Nor, Piatelli shg, 4:18. 4, PSU, Satim (Corry, Willock), 17:52. Penalties- Quagliani, Nor (slashing), 2:26. Corry, PSU (hitting from behind), 7:31. Kashirsky, PSU (hooking), 8:59. Fimiani, Nor (tripping), 19:56.
Third period- 5, PSU, Clarke, 18:46. Penalties- Bancroft, PSU (tripping), 4:31.
Shots on goal:
Plattsburgh State 3 11 7 -- 21
Norwich 16 9 8 -- 33
Goaltenders (shots-saves): Hince, PSU, 33-31. Gieni, Nor, 21-18.
Powerplays (goals-opportinities): Plattsburgh State, 1-4. Norwich, 0-3.
Attendance: 2,012.