NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University (5-7, 3-1 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (5-8, 2-3 GNAC), 11-5, in in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Saturday afternoon.
THE LEAD
The Cadets kicked off the game with five unanswered goals and held a 6-2 advantage heading into intermission. Norwich scored twice in the opening five minutes of the third quarter to earn an 8-2 cushion before Saint Joseph's rattled off three of the next four goals, as a Michael Finn (Quincy, Mass.) marker cut the visitors' deficit down to 9-5 with 1:38 left in the third frame.
Saint Joseph's was unable to close the gap further however, as Norwich posted a 2-0 goals advantage in the fourth quarter en route to the 11-5 triumph. The Monks narrowly missed on a pair of attempts in the fourth stanza, as Finn and junior Mark LaPierre (Wayland, Mass.) both clanged shots off the post in the final frame.
THE KEEPERS
Saint Joseph's sophomore goalie Connor Trainor (Franklin, Mass.) registered 17 saves in the losing bid while Ian Kriger (Burlington, Mass.) posted seven saves over 55:47 and Jake Anderson (Adams, Mass.) was untested in 4:13 between the pipes.
SJC HIGHLIGHTS
- Finn scored a pair of goals
- Senior Jake O'Brien (Andover, Mass.) tallied a goal and an assist with 10 shots
- Sophomores Matt Donnell (Watertown, Mass.) and Brendan Barrett (East Sandwich, Mass.) scored a goal apiece
- Freshman LSM Peter Wood (Gloucester, Mass.) produced five caused turnovers
- Sophomore Liam Skinner (Irving, Texas) corralled four ground balls
NORWICH HIGHLIGHTS
- Junior Joe Wood (White River Junction, Vt.) led the team with four points on a pair of goals and assists
- Sophomore Josh Jenkins (Centennial, Colo.) recorded a hat trick for the Cadets
- Sophomore Nick Imbriani (Foxboro, Mass.) chipped in with two goals
- Senior Matt Flaherty (Portland, Maine) picked up two points on a goal and an assist
TEAM STATS
Norwich held the lead in shots (48-28), ground balls (37-24), and face-offs (16-3) while Saint Joseph's posted a 13-7 advantage in caused turnovers on the afternoon.
The Monks held the Cadets to a 1-10 performance in man-up situations.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 0-7 in the history of the series with Norwich University, a team that defeated the Monks by a 9-3 score last spring.
NEXT!
Both teams return to conference action this Wednesday, when the Monks host Rivier University in a 7:30 PM game at Deering Memorial Stadium and Norwich hosts Mount Ida College in a 4:00 PM face-off.
