Courtesy Norwich and Middlebury Sports Information
NORTHFIELD –– The Norwich University men’s ice hockey team salvaged a split of the season series with long-time rival Middlebury College after a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night at Kreitzberg Arena.
Norwich (13-2-1, 8-1-0 NEHC) improved to 15-2-2 in the last 19 meetings with Middlebury and continued to cut into the Panthers’ all-time lead of 81-68-9 dating back to 1926.
After a scoreless first period, the Cadets scored twice in a span of 59 seconds with Taeron Lewis (Winnipeg. Manitoba) and Philip Elgstam (Stockholm, Sweden) scoring goals.
Lewis tallied his third goal of the season on a rebound after an initial shot by Brett Ouderkirk (Monkland, Ontario) was saved. Lewis jammed home the rebound after Ouderkirk was denied by Middlebury’s Jake Horoho. Horoho was sprawled out and laying on the ice from the first save though, allowing Lewis an open net as he shoveled it in to break open the scoring.
Norwich doubled the lead just under a minute later with Elgstam scoring on the power play off assists from Gabriel Chicoine (St. Dominique, Quebec) and Coby Downs (Montclair, Calif.). Downs sent a pass over to Chicoine, who fired the puck towards the net from the point and it bounced off the skate of Elgstam on the right post and into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.
Middlebury (7-6-0, 5-3-0 NESCAC) got a goal back at the 15:10 mark of the second period with Owen Powers scoring off an assist from Paddy Bogart. Powers took a pass from Bogart in the neutral zone and skated in from the right wing on a partial break. Powers took a wrist shot that Aubrun got a piece of with his arm, but the puck trickled past him and over the line before anyone could get to it.
Norwich got a big insurance tally at the 17:05 mark of the third period with Ryan Boucher (Fitchburg, Mass.) scoring his sixth goal of the season with a pretty backhand to roof the puck over Horoho to make it 3-1 Cadets. Boucher took a pass from Connor Swystun (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) and then carried the puck through two Middlebury defenders to create a partial breakaway from the left wing. He cut towards the goal and lifted the puck over Horoho.
Norwich senior goalie Tom Aubrun (Chamonix, France) made 31 saves to improve to 12-2-1 on the season. Horoho made 26 saves for Middlebury in the loss.
Norwich has now won four straight and is unbeaten in its last six games as it heads to Southern Maine and New England College this weekend for a pair of NEHC matchups on the road.Up next for the Panthers (7-6-0) is their final non-conference game of the season, as they host Plattsburgh State on Friday at 7:00 p.m.