SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- The Norwich University men's ice hockey team snapped a three-game winless streak with a 3-0 win over Skidmore College on Saturday night at Saratoga City Rink in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East action.
Norwich (15-5-3, 11-3-2 ECAC East) got goals from Travis Janke (Swift Current, Saskatchewan), Dean Niezgoda (Brewster, Mass.) and William Pelletier (St. Jean Chrysotome, Quebec), while senior goalie Chris Czarnota (Wakefield, Mass.) made 17 saves to earn his third shutout of the season.
After a scoreless first, Pelletier gave Norwich the lead at 2:08 of the second, working a give-and-go with Austin Sorowiec (Louisville, Ky.) and tucking in a backhand for his ninth goal of the season. Janke doubled the Cadets lead four minutes later, converting on a rebound on a point shot from Shane Gorman (Trumbull, Conn.)
The Thoroughbreds pressed on a power play late in the third period, but Czarnota turned away Anthony Bird's close-range shot to preserve the two-goal lead. Niezgoda put the game away with an empty-netter at 19:05 of the third.
Ben Freiberg made 17 saves on 19 shots over the first 30:33 for Skidmore and Jack McDonald closed out the game with 19 saves, including 17 in the third period.
Norwich outshot Skidmore 38-17 and went 0-3 on the power play, while the Thoroughbreds were 0-7 with the man advantage.
Norwich trails Babson by three points heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The Cadets host Babson on Friday night at 7 p.m. A win by Babson in either of its final two games would clinch the ECAC East regular season title.
