PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The No. 13 Norwich University men’s ice hockey team won both of its games during the weekend en route to claiming the 19th Annual PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena on Saturday. Norwich beat Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) College, 3-0, in Saturday’s championship game, while host No. 11 Plattsburgh State beat Middlebury College, 5-2, in the consolation contest. Both Plattsburgh State’s and Norwich’s rankings are according to the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III national poll.
Plattsburgh State, which goes to 4-4 on the season, received goals from sophomores Nick Belger (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Soo Eagles), Pat Egan (Rochester, N.Y./Lone Star Brahmas) and Jesse Neher (Calgary, Alberta/Cowichen Valley Capitals) and freshmen Joe Drabin (Rochester, N.Y./Wenatchee Wild) and Brady Pfaff (South Riding, Va./Islanders Hockey Club), with Pfaff netting his first career goal. Junior Ayrton Valente (Woodbridge, Ontario/Mississauga Chargers) and freshman Gavin Yates (Plymouth, Mass./South Shore Kings) both provided two assists. Freshman Joshua Davies (Guelph, Ontario/Brooks Bandits) made 26 saves for the win in his second career start. Sophomore Cole Stallard (Waleska, Ga./New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) was selected to the all-tournament team.
Middlebury goes to 0-4 on the season and saw goals from junior Vincent Gisonti (Montreal, Quebec/Islanders Hockey Club) and freshman Joey Piccinini (Blainville, Quebec/Boston Jr. Bandits). Junior Braeden Quast (Mullica Hills, N.J./Connecticut Yankees) and sophomore Spencer Cage (Fishers, Ind./Culver Academies) assisted and junior Stephen Klein (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Bonnyville Pontiacs) stopped 40 shots.
Plattsburgh State potted two first-period goals on 14 shots. The hosts went up first at 3:35 when Drabin fed a goal-line pass to Belger, who wristed a slot shot into the upper right corner. Middlebury looked to equalize with 4:58 remaining as sophomore Ethan Cohen (Brooklyn, N.Y./Metro Fighting Moose) skated down the left side before sending a low liner that Davies snagged. The Cardinals then went up 2-0 at 18:07 when Valente’s left side pass through traffic was redirected into the right side by Pfaff.
Middlebury evened up the score with a pair of second-period goals. Quast’s left side shot bounced off Davies’ left pad and out to Gisonti, who punched home the power-play score to the right side at 7:54. Piccinini knotted up the score at 2-2 when he took a pass from Cage and snapped a shot over Davies’ glove at 14:13. Plattsburgh State broke the stalemate with three third-period markers. Neher scored at 5:10 and the put the Cardinals up when he tapped in the puck after freshman Philip Middleton’s (Vail, Colo./Topeka Roadrunners) slapshot caromed up and over Klein, leaving the puck in an empty crease for a quick tap in. Egan’s goal at 10:15 and Drabin’s power-play tally at 19:44 sealed the hosts’ win.
Norwich, which won its ninth ShootOut, and first since 2012, ups its season record to 7-1-1. In the championship game, junior Kevin Salvucci (Plymouth, Mass./Baystate Breakers) and freshmen Taeron Lewis (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Winnipeg Blues) and Ian Williams (Milestone, Saskatchewan/Notre Dame Hounds) each scored, with Lewis adding an assist. Junior Braeden Ostepchuk (Lethbridge, Alberta/Selkirk Steelers) turned in a 19-save shutout. Salvucci was selected as the tournament’s most valuable player and Baldillez, Brandrup and Ostepchuk secured all-tournament nods.
Concordia-Moorhead, the ShootOut champion in 2014, falls to 4-4 on the year. Junior Jon Grebosky (Oakdale, Pa./Aberdeen Wings) won eight faceoffs and freshman Jacob Stephen (Eagle River, Wis./Great Falls Americans) totaled 35 stops. Freshman goalie Sam Nelson (Eau Claire, Wis./Wisconsin Rapids RIverkings) earned the tournament’s outstanding rookie accolade and senior Jordan Krebsbach (Virginia, Minn./Alexandria Blizzard) grabbed an all-tournament pick.
Salvucci’s power-play goal at 14:47 of the first period put Norwich up 1-0. The Cadets would click off six more shots in the stanza, including a last-second attempt by freshman Christian Thompson (Windham, N.H./Phillips Exeter Academy). Norwich added to its lead with two second-period tallies, with Lewis scoring at 10:36 and Williams finding the back of the net at 14:58. Both sides then skated to a scoreless third period, as Concordia-Moorhead sophomore Mario Bianchi (Bloomington, Minn./Janesville Jets)ringing the left post 2:30 into the stanza.
Plattsburgh State resumes State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play by hosting SUNY Potsdam for a 7 p.m. game on Friday.
19th Annual PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut
Team Champion
Norwich University
Most Valuable Player
Kevin Salvucci, Norwich
Outstanding Rookie
Sam Nelson, Concordia-Moorhead
All-Tournament Team
Payton Baldillez, Norwich
Alec Brandrup, Norwich
Jordan Krebsbach, Concordia-Moorhead
Braeden Ostepchuk, Norwich
Kevin Salvucci, Norwich (MVP)
Cole Stallard, Plattsburgh State
