NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Senior forwards Rick Cleaver
and Eric Lauriault each netted two goals apiece to lead the
ninth-ranked Norwich men's ice hockey team to an impressive 6-1
victory over Trinity on Friday night at Kreitzberg Arena.
Cleaver also collected two assists, as the Parksville, B.C.,
native led the NU offense with four points on the night. Nikita
Kashirsky added a goal and an assist, and D.J. Fimiani chipped in
three assists for the Cadets, who improve to 13-3-0 (9-1-0 ECAC
East).
The Norwich offense, which was held to just four goals combined
in defeating Babson (1-0) and UMass-Boston (3-2) last weekend,
broke out in a big way with four goals in the first period tonight
en route to the runaway victory.
The Cadets explosion began less than two minute into the contest
when Raphael Robitaille scored his fourth goal of the season at the
1:53 mark. The senior captain took a pass from linemate Eric
Ouellette and ripped a wrist shot past the Bantams goaltender David
Murison to put the Cadets on top, 1-0.
Kashirsky made it 2-0 at the 9:22 mark with his 13th goal of the
season. The junior took the puck at center ice, skated past a
defender with a nifty move and snuck it past Murison to send the
Kreitzberg crowd into a frenzy.
Less than three minutes later, Cleaver tallied his first goal of
the evening as the senior forward rammed the puck home from close
range. The goal light did not go on, but the puck crossed the line
to give the Cadets a 3-0 advantage. At the 13:54 mark, Lauriault
capitalized on a pair of excellent passes from Cleaver and Fimiani,
as the senior slipped the puck into the net to make it 4-0 Cadets.
Norwich only mustered 10 shots on goal during the frame, but the
Cadets scored on four of them to build a comfortable 4-0 lead
entering the second period.
The Cadets dominate play in the second stanza, scoring two more
goals to extend their lead to 6-0 following 40 minutes of action.
Lauriault tallied his second goal of the contest, and sixth of the
season, at the 7:06 mark, and Cleaver added his team-leading 16th
goal of the year at the 12:56 mark as NU continued its onslaught.
Trinity (7-5-2, 3-4-2 NESCAC) finally got on the scoreboard at
the 11:55 mark of the third period as Daniel Maturi scored the
Bantams lone goal of the night.
Norwich sophomore goaltender Ryan Klingensmith improved to 5-0-0
on the season with the victory. The Morton, Pa., native made 17
stops en route to the win.
NU outshot Trinity, 32-18, for the game. Neither team was able
to generate much on the power play, with the Bantams going 0-for-5,
and the Cadets going 0-for-4.
Norwich continues its four-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 26,
when the Cadets take on Wesleyan at Kreitzberg Arena at 4 p.m. The
radio broadcast of the game can be heard on WDEV (AM-550, FM-96.1),
and on the internet at http://www.cadetsradio.com/.
