Men’s Hockey: Aubrun’s Shutout Leads Norwich Past USM, 4-0

Posted on , updated on by George Commo

Courtesy Norwich Sports Information

NORTHFIELD – Sophomore goalie Tom Aubrun (Chamonix, France) stopped all 26 shots he faced to pick up his first collegiate shutout in the first start of his Norwich University men’s ice hockey career to lead the Cadets to a 4-0 win over Southern Maine on Saturday afternoon.

 

Aubrun was terrific, including making 15 saves in the second period when the Cadets were outshot 15-6.

 

Norwich (4-2-1, 4-1-1 NEHC) got goals from Jake Erickson (Stillwater, Minn.), Kevin Salvucci (Plymouth, Mass.), Felix Brassard (St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) and TJ Dockery (Lockport, N.Y.) to pick up the crucial two league points and salvage a split of the weekend.

 

Erickson gave Norwich the lead at the 9:46 mark of the first period with his first goal of the season on a slap shot from the point on the power play off an assist from Carter Cowlthorp (Boissevain, Manitoba).

 

Salvucci increased the lead to 2-0, beating USM goalie Anthony D’Aloisio five-hole for his fourth goal of the season at the 4:36mark of the second period.

 

NU made it 3-0 at the 7:29 mark with Brassard cashing in on a USM turnover behind its net off a feed from Coby Downs (Montclair, Calif.). Salvucci started the play on the fore check and forced the Huskies to make an errant pass behind their net that Downs picked off and fed to a wide open Brassard who potted it in for his third goal of the season.

 

Dockery scored his second of the season at the 11:44 mark to cap the scoring and make it 4-0.

 

Aubrun and the NU defense made it stand up from there. Aubrun got the help of a terrific defensive play by David Robertson (Boissevain, Manitoba) midway through the third period with Robertson blocking a USM shot with a wide open net after Aubrun was down and out from making the initial save.

 

Norwich returns to action on Friday, November 24 when it travels to Middlebury, Vt. for the 20th annual PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut. The Cadets will face Plattsburgh State in the opening game of the tournament at 4 p.m., while Middlebury meets Lawrence in the nightcap at 7 p.m.