Courtesy Plattsburgh Sports Information
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men’s ice hockey team fell to No. 2 Norwich University, 8-5, in non-conference play at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena on Friday. Plattsburgh State, which saw its 10-game homestand end, slides to 6-7 on the season, while Norwich, the leader in overall wins among Division III schools, improves to 13-1-1. The Cadets’ national ranking is according to the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) poll.
Plattsburgh State freshman Gavin Yates (Plymouth, Mass./South Shore Kings) scored twice, while senior Kyle Hall (Assiniboia, Saskatchewan/Battlefords North Stars), sophomore Nick Belger(Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Soo Eagles) and freshman Schuyler Seyfert (Marshfield, Wis./Ogden Mustangs) each netted one goal. Six players earned one assist and freshman Joshua Davies (Guelph, Ontario/Brooks Bandits) stopped 21 shots as the Cardinals outshot the Cadets, 48-29.
Norwich junior Kevin Salvucci paced the game with five points on one goal and four assists, with senior William Pelletier providing two goals, one assist and 13 faceoff wins. Senior Anthony Flaherty scored twice, while juniors Alec Brandrup, Connor Evangelista and Payton Baldillez each had two assists. Freshman Ian Williams logged one goal and one assist and seniors Nick Pichette and Austin Sureowiec both potted one goal. Junior Braeden Ostepchuk secured the win in net by collecting 36 saves in 48:23 before senior Ty Reichenbach kept the Cardinals scoreless on seven shots in 11:37 of relief.
The game was tied, 1-1, after Plattsburgh State led 12-7 in first-period shots. Williams stole the puck on the Norwich defensive blue line and skated in on a breakaway at 12:30, but his snapshot clanged off the left post. The Cadets went up at 14:15 as Pelletier fed an end board pass up to Salvucci, who shoveled a quick pass to Pichette and Pichette wristed a shot into the upper right corner for a power-play goal. Brandrup’s slapshot hit the crossbar with 4:23 remaining before Plattsburgh State equalized at 18:17. Seyfert blocked a Norwich shot and then skated up the left side before firing a shot into the left side.
Norwich burst out for six second-period goals on 16 shots. Williams’ goal at 1:08 sparked the Cadets, followed by Flaherty’s back-to-back tallies just 3:17 apart and wrapped up by Salvucci, Surowiec and Pelletier, with Surowiec and Pelletier scoring 14 seconds apart to vault the visitors to a 7-1 lead. Salvucci collected his own rebound off of Davies’ left toe and punched home the score inside the left post.
Plattsburgh State reeled closer throughout the third period as the hosts netted four consecutive goals to start the stanza. Hall started the frenzy at 1:37 before Belger converted with the player advantage on a delayed penalty at 2:42. Yates then found the back of the twice in a 4:51 span, the latter coming on a breakaway where he tucked a low shot just passed Ostepchuk’s right toe to trim the deficit to 7-5. The two-goal margin was as close as the score would get as Norwich deposited an empty-net marker from the left side off of Pelletier’s stick with 1:37 remaining.
The Cardinals travel to SUNY Canton tomorrow for a 7 p.m. non-conference game. The contest will be Plattsburgh State’s first road game since tangling with Fredonia back on Nov. 12. Norwich returns to action on Tuesday when the Cadets visit Middlebury.