St. Norbert uses big first period to defeat Women's Hockey in NCHA action
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Concordia Wisconsin (5-4-1, 3-4 NCHA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
St. Norbert (6-4-1, 3-4-1 NCHA) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
DE PERE, Wis. – All five goals between the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Hockey team and St. Norbert College were scored in the first period of Saturday's NCHA showdown in De Pere. Unfortunately for the Falcons, four of those goals came off the sticks of Green Knights players, as CUW fell for the second straight game, 4-1.
Three of the four goals scored by SNC came in the final eight minutes of the opening stanza, breaking a 1-1 tie. Just as it was Friday night, when St. Norbert won 3-0, the home team dominated the shots. The Falcons were outshot 43-16, including a 20-6 edge for St. Norbert in the opening period.
The Falcons lone score of the afternoon came from sophomore Veronika Metanova (Palatine, Ill.). Metanova tied the game at 1-1 at the 10:27 mark of the opening period on a power play score. Her fourth goal of the season was assisted by senior Emily Heckendorf (Merrill, Wis.) and sophomore Laine Tomesch (Mequon, Wis.).
The Green Knights would control the rest of the opening period, scoring three times before the first intermission. Kyle Gazzolo scored the game-winner at the 12:05 mark, while Megan Crandell and Lexi Pyykkonen also scored in the period. Lauren Roethlisberger had the Green Knights first goal, a power play score 1:05 into play, which came off a Falcons penalty that occurred before the game even started (Team Protocol Violation).
From the second period on, sophomore Bridget Slater (Roseau, Minn.) settled in, stopping all 23 shots she faced over the final 40 minutes. Unfortunately CUW couldn't get any closer, allowing the Green Knights to complete the weekend sweep.
Brianna Kelly made 15 saves in the win for St. Norbert. The two teams combined for 14 penalty minutes, with the Falcons being whistled for eight minutes on four infractions. Each team scored one power play goal, CUW finishing 1-for-3 with the advantage.
The Falcons will have nearly a month off before returning to the ice. When CUW comes back on January 2nd it will begin a six-game home stand and play nine of its first 11 games after the New Year will be at the Ozaukee Ice Center. The first of those will be January 2 against Concordia College Moorhead at 7 p.m.
