PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Rick Cleaver netted a hat
trick, and Eric Ouellette and Nikita Kashirsky each added goals as
11th-ranked Norwich upended No. 2 Middlebury, 5-2, on Friday
afternoon in the first round of the Primelink Great Northern
Shootout at the Stafford Ice Center.
D.J. Fimiani was all over the ice, as the sophomore assisted on
four of Norwich's five goals. Sylvain Messier, Phil Sbrocchi and
Chad Anderson also added assists. For Anderson, the point was the
first of his young career.
Norwich (2-1-0) jumped on Middlebury in the first period,
scoring three unanswered power play goals to start the game.
Ouellette tallied the first marker, blasting a slapshot past the
Middlebury goaltender from the left point at the 5:36 mark. Just
moments later, Cleaver scored his first of three goals when
corralled the puck right in front of the goal and slammed it into
the back of the net at the 8:46 mark. Then, 13:30 into the period,
Kashirsky put NU on top 3-0 with what proved to be the game-winning
goal when he converted on the power play.
Middlebury (1-1-1) finally got on the scoreboard late in the
first period with a power play goal of its own.
Cleaver, who is the reigning ECAC "Player of the Week," added
two more goals in the second period, as Norwich built a commanding
5-2 lead heading into the final 20 minutes. The Cadets dominated
play in the middle period, outshooting the Panthers, 17-9, in the
stanza.
Neither team was able to dent the back of the net in the third
stanza, leaving the final score 5-2 in favor of Norwich.
Norwich outshot Middlebury, 32-26. The Cadets were 4-for-6 on
the power play, while the Panthers were just 1-for-6 on the man
advantage.
David Thompson earned the victory between the pipes for Norwich,
stopping 24 of the 26 shots that he faced.
The Cadets will return to Stafford Ice Center on Saturday, Nov.
24, for the Primelink Great Northern Shootout championship game. NU
will face either Plattsburgh State or St. John's (Minn.). Faceoff
is slated for 7 p.m., and the game can be heard on WDEV radio
(AM-550, FM-96.1) or on the internet at www.cadetsradio.com.
