Box
Score
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Nikita Kashirsky scored the
game-winning goal early in the third period, and Ryan Klingensmith
was brilliant between the pipes to help Norwich defeat Bowdoin,
2-1, Saturday afternoon in an ECAC East-NESCAC Interlock men's ice
hockey game at Kreitzberg Arena.
The victory clinches the Cadets 11th straight ECAC East regular
season title. Norwich will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming
conference tournament, which begins next Saturday. NU will host
eighth-seeded UMass-Boston in a quarterfinal contest on Saturday,
Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. If the Cadets defeat the Beacons, they will host
the ECAC East Tournament Final Four on March 6-7 at Kreitzberg
Arena.
Norwich and Bowdoin were tied 1-1 entering the third period, but
Kashirsky tallied his team-leading 17th goal of the season on the
power play at the 1:51 mark to put the Cadets in front for good.
The goal was setup by D.J. Fimiani and Eric Tallent. Tallent held
the puck at the right point before firing a cross ice pass to
Fimiani, who was in the left faceoff circle. Fimiani then slid a
pass to Kashirsky, who was camped out in the slot. Kashirsky did
not have much to shoot at, but he was able to sneak the puck just
inside the left post to put Norwich in front.
The Polar Bears brought pressure throughout the remainder of the
third period, outshooting the Cadets 12-11 in the stanza.
Klingensmith stood tall in the Norwich net, though, stopping all 12
third-period shots. The junior goaltender finished the night with
30 saves.
Norwich (13-7-4, 11-5-3 ECAC East) got on the scoreboard first
when Emmond Bell took a feed from Tim Houston and scored on a
four-on-four situation at the 8:59 mark of the opening period.
Houston and Owen Carpino picked up assists on the marker, which was
Bell's ninth of the season.
Bowdoin (11-11-2, 8-9-2 NESCAC) tied the score at 1-1 late in
the first period when Mike Collins scored on the power play. Graham
Sisson and Brendan Reich were credited with assists on the goal,
which was Collins' fifth of the year.
Bowdoin outshot Norwich 12-9 in what was a very entertaining
first period.
The Cadets outshot the Polar Bears 8-7 in the second stanza, but
Bowdoin had the better scoring chances. The Polar Bears broke in
with odd-man rushes several times, but Klingensmith stopped each
one to keep the score tied at 1-1 following 40 minutes of action.
For the game, Bowdoin outshot Norwich 31-28. Both teams were
1-for-4 on the power play. Richard Nerland finished with 26 saves
for the Polar Bears in the loss.
It was Senior Day for the Cadets, and the team's four seniors -
C.J. Viso, Rico Piatelli, Nikita Kashirsky and Jim Koehler - were
honored in a special pre-game ceremony.
Norwich will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 28, when the
Cadets host an ECAC East Tournament quarterfinal game at Kreitzberg
Arena. The top-seeded Cadets will face eighth-seeded UMass-Boston
at 7 p.m. Norwich defeated the Beacons, 3-2, in overtime during the
regular season. The game will be available on the radio at WDEV
(550 AM; 96.1 FM) and on the internet at www.cadetsradio.com.
