Box Score NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University men's ice hockey team recorded its eighth straight shutout victory with a 5-0 win over No. 7 seed Univ. of Southern Maine in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Semifinals on Saturday night at Kreitzberg Arena.
Senior goalie Tom Aubrun (Chamonix, France) stopped all 17 shots he faced to pick up his eighth straight shutout, 12th of the season and also extend his consecutive shutout minutes streak to 512:31, which is a record for all NCAA levels. Aubrun tied SUNY Geneseo's Devin McDonald '19 for the NCAA Division III record for most shutouts in a single season with his 12th clean sheet.
Senior forward Christian Thompson (Windham, N.H.) and freshman forward Braedyn Aubin (Woodstock, Ontario) each had a goal and an assist to lead the Cadets' offense in the victory. Sophomore defenseman Gabriel Chicoine (St. Dominique, Quebec) notched two assists to extend his point streak to seven straight games. Junior forward Felix Brassard (St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) added two assists as well.
Norwich stretched its unbeaten streak to 17 straight games with the victory and will now face No. 3 seed and No. 5 nationally-ranked Hobart College for the third straight year in the NEHC Championship game. Hobart defeated New England College 4-2. Norwich won last year's NEHC title game 2-1, while the Statesmen took the 2018 title game 3-0 in Kreitzberg Arena.
After a tight-checking and even first 15 minutes, Norwich (23-2-2) opened the scoring with a power play goal from junior forward Coby Downs (Montclair, Calif.) to take a lead that it would never relinquish.
Downs sent a wrist shot through traffic that bounced off a body in front and into the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season. Chicoine and Brassard picked up assists on the goal.
Aubin scored with 30 seconds left in the opening period, beating USM goalie Paul Leger with wrist shot from the left wing off assists from Thompson and Noah Williams (Cortland, N.Y.).
Thompson increased the lead to 3-0 with his third goal of the season off assists from Aubin and Matt Burchill (Marshfield, Mass.). Burchill took an initial wrist shot from the point that Aubin tipped slightly and then Thompson shoveled home the rebound on his backhand for the goal.
Hall scored for the fifth straight game off assists from Chicoine and Burchill at the 2:40 mark of the third period to stretch the lead to 4-0. Hall made a pretty cross over move to evade a Southern Maine defender and then backhanded the puck from the bottom of the left faceoff circle that ended up squeaking through the pads of Leger.
Philip Elgstam (Stockholm, Sweden) capped the scoring with a power play goal, shoveling in a rebound off the end boards glass after Ryan Boucher's (Fitchburg, Mass.) attempt sailed high and wide. Brassard picked up the secondary assist.
Norwich outshot Southern Maine 41-17 in the game. Leger made 36 saves in his final collegiate start for the Huskies.
Norwich will be looking to win its 14th NEHC Tournament title next Saturday, while Hobart will be looking for its second since joining the league for the 2017-18 season.
