Courtesy Norwich Sports Information
NORTHFIELD –– The Norwich University men’s hockey team continued its impressive start to the 2019-20 season with a dominant 7-0 shutout victory over New England College in its New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) opener at Kreitzberg Arena.
No. 2-ranked Norwich (2-0-0, 1-0-0 NEHC) got a goal and two assists from Maxime Borduas (St. Cesaire, Quebec) and Felix Brassard (St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec), while Ryan Boucher (Fitchburg, Mass.) scored twice to lead the Cadets’ offense.
Senior goaltender Tom Aubrun (Chamonix, France) was perfect again, stopping all 23 shots he faced to pick up his second straight shutout and ninth of his career.
Norwich dominated from the opening faceoff, scoring just 2:58 into the game with Noah Williams (Cortland, N.Y.) scoring off assists from Matt Burchill (Marshfield, Mass.) and Taeron Lewis (Winnipeg, Manitoba) picked up the assists on the opening goal.
The Cadets added three more goals before the first period ended to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the first intermission. Boucher scored his first of the game off an assist on a 2-on-1 with Scott Swanson (Wheaton, Ill.) at the 12:22 mark. Connor Swystun (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) started the play by feeding the puck out the zone to spring Swanson on the rush.
Brassard scored his second of the season on the power play, slamming home a one-timer from the left faceoff circle off a pass from Coby Downs (Montclair, Calif.). Borduas picked up the second assist on the goal at 15:54 of the first.
Downs capped the first period scoring with a pretty deke around a defender and then shoveled the puck past NEC starting goalie Anthony Pupplo. Brassard and Jordan Hall (Anchorage, Alaska) picked up assists on the goal.
Lewis increased the Norwich lead to 5-0 at the 4:31 mark of the second period, scoring off assists from Borduas and the first collegiate point from Carson Scheschuk (Waden, Saskatchewan).
Boucher scored his second goal of the game and team-leading third of the season to tie Brassard at the 6:33 mark of the third period off an assist from Gabriel Chicoine (St. Dominique, Quebec) and Christian Thompson (Windham, N.H.).
Borduas capped the scoring with another power play goal with a beautiful redirection on the doorstep of the crease off an assist from Brassard and Burchill.
Aubrun improved to 2-0-0 on the season and has stopped all 48 shots he’s faced so far this season.
Pupplo made 21 saves for NEC to fall to 1-2. Spencer Kozlowski made five saves for the Pilgrims in relief for the last 13:27.
Norwich will look to continue its hot streak to start the season on Saturday at 4 p.m. when the Cadets host Southern Maine at Kreitzberg Arena to close out Norwich Hockey Alumni Weekend.