GORHAM, Maine - The Norwich University men's ice hockey team scored twice in the third period to salvage a 2-2 tie with Southern Maine on Friday night in New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) action at USM Ice Arena.

No. 4-nationally ranked Norwich (13-2-2, 8-1-1 NEHC) fell behind 2-0 to Southern Maine, but sophomore Gabriel Chicoine (St. Dominique, Quebec) and freshman Braedyn Aubin (Woodstock, Ontario) scored goals in the final 11 minutes of the game to help the Cadets get a point.

Aubin scored with 39.3 seconds left in the game on the power play and with the goalie pulled, giving Norwich a two-man advantage. Aubin blasted a shot from the top of the slot, over the shoulder of USM goalie Peter Ciccarelli and under the crossbar to tie the game up. Coby Downs (Montclair, Calif.) picked up the assist on the goal after feeding the puck over to Aubin from the half boards. Chicoine picked up the second assist on the gaol to complete the two-point night.

Chicoine scored Norwich's first goal, crashing through the slot to bury the puck off assists from Taeron Lewis (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Jordan Hall (Anchorage, Alaska).

Tom Aubrun (Chamonix, France) made 15 saves in the game to bring his record to 12-2-2 on the season. Ciccarelli was the story for USM, making 36 saves in just his second start of the season in a brilliant performance. He also staved off a NU penalty shot with Todd Jackson failing to score for the Cadets just moments before Chicoine got Norwich on the board. 

Friday night's game marked the first time Norwich and Southern Maine ended in a stalemate in the 41 all-time meetings. Norwich holds a 37-3-1 lead in the all-time ledger vs. the Huskies. 

Norwich will face New England College on Saturday at 4 p.m. in a crucial NEHC showdown between the league's top two teams in the standings. NEC defeated Castleton 4-2 on Friday night and now trails Norwich by only one point in the standings.