Box
Score
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Jim Koehler scored the
game-winning goal off assists from Steve Coon and Emmond Bell just
1:04 into overtime to propel the 14th-ranked Norwich University
men's ice hockey team to a 3-2 victory over UMass-Boston in an ECAC
East game Saturday afternoon at Kreitzberg Arena.
With the win, Norwich (8-4-2, 6-2-1 ECAC East) remains on top of
the conference standings with a league-high 13 points.
UMass-Boston, meanwhile, falls to 5-7-2 (2-6-1 ECAC East). The
Beacons were swept this weekend, and find themselves in last place
in the conference standings.
The victory gives NU head coach Mike McShane his 288th win at
the university, tying him with Bob Priestly for the top spot among
Norwich coaches.
Norwich got off to a fast start, scoring on a power play goal at
1:43 of the first period. The Cadets were working on a two-man
advantage when Eric Tallent fired a shot that was saved. The
rebound caromed right to Nikita Kashirsky, who buried the puck into
the gaping net for his sixth goal of the year. Tyler Stitt and
Tallent were each credited with an assist on the play
The Cadets made it 2-0 later in the period as Rico Piatelli
scored off an assist from Nick Quagliani at the 13:01 mark. It
marked Piatelli's fifth goal of the season.
UMass-Boston rallied to tie the score at 2-2 by tallying two
goals in the final 1:27 of the first period. Anthony Fitti got the
Beacons on the board when he took a pass from David Lun and beat
Norwich goaltender David Thompson to score his second goal of the
year at the 18:33 mark. Lun had the puck behind the net, and found
Fitti, who was camped out near the crease. UMass-Boston tallied the
tying goal with just 11 seconds left in the opening stanza when
Jeff Van Siclen scored his second goal of the season off assists
from Chris Wyman and Kyle Tejchma.
UMass-Boston outshot Norwich 10-8 in a very entertaining first
period, which featured a lot of up and down hockey.
The Beacons held a 13-9 edge in shots in the second period, but
neither team was able to score a goal, and the game moved into the
final 20 minutes deadlocked at 2-2. Norwich goaltender Ryan
Klingensmith came on at the start of the second period and turned
aside all 13 shots that he faced in the stanza to keep the score
tied.
Both teams enjoyed several great chances to win the game in the
third period, but neither side could score a goal. Norwich outshot
UMass-Boston 9-5 in the third period.
Klingensmith made 18 saves in the game to earn the victory
between the pipes for the Cadets. He improves to 8-2-2 overall this
season. Kevin Bendel was pretty sharp in his collegiate debut for
UMass-Boston, as the freshman net minder made 24 saves on the
night.
For the game, UMass-Boston outshot Norwich, 28-27. The Cadets
went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Beacons went 0-for-6 with
the man advantage.
Norwich will return to action on Friday, Jan. 23, when the
Cadets travel to Hartford, Conn, to take on NESCAC rival Trinity.
Faceoff for Friday night's tussle is set for 7 p.m. A live audio
broadcast of the game will be available live on the radio (WDEV:
FM-96.1/AM-550), and on the internet (www.cadetsradio.com).
