STANDISH, ME - #2 Saint Joseph's College (13-5, 7-3 GNAC) will host #4 Norwich University (11-8, 6-4 GNAC) in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship at 2:00 PM on Saturday at Westerlea Way Field.
How they got here:
Saint Joseph's defeated #7 Suffolk University, 3-0, in the quarterfinals last Saturday and walked past #6 Emmanuel College, 4-1, in the semifinal round on Thursday afternoon. Sophomore forward Zach Johnson (Westbrook, Maine) tallied a goal and an assist and Ross Suleski '14 (Amesbury, Mass./St. Thomas Aquinas), Mike Sanfilippo '12 (Walpole, Mass.) and Nick Lemieux '12 (Thomaston, Maine) all scored in the one-sided win. Sophomore netminder Kenny Grade '14 (Hampton, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas) made five saves for the Monks.
Norwich University edged #5 Lasell College, 3-2 in double-overtime, last Saturday and shocked top-seeded Albertus Magnus College with a late goal in a 1-0 GNAC Quarterfinal victory on Thursday. Sophomore midfielder Anthony Amell (Northfield, Vt.) snapped a scoreless tie with an 88th-minute marker to propel the Cadets into the GNAC Championship match. Norwich keeper Christian Hallstrom '15 (Las Vegas, Nev.) posted seven stops in the semifinal triumph.
The last time we met:
The Monks trumped the Cadets by a 2-1 margin at Westerlea Way Field in what was the 2011 GNAC-opener for both sides in early September. Johnson and freshman midfielder Ali Hersi (Lewiston, Maine) scored goals and Grade recorded two saves for the Royal Blue. Garrett Shufelt '13 (Clifton Park, N.Y.) netted the Cadets' lone goal and goalkeeper Alex Toomey '14 (Anchorage, Alaska) made nine stops in a losing effort.
What have you done lately?
Saint Joseph's has won four straight games and seven of the last eight dating back to October 8th. The Monks have outscored their opponents by a 10-2 margin in the last four matches and the team's four scores in the win over Emmanuel ranks as the most the team has ever scored in a postseason contest.
Norwich has also won seven of the last eight games as well as the last four contests. The exciting 1-0 win over Albertus Magnus, the #9 team in New England according to the latest NSCAA poll, snapped the Falcons' 15-game undefeated streak. With two of this season's most thrilling GNAC tourney victories in tow, the Cadets are riding high heading into the conference finale. Clearly, this Norwich team is a different one than the side that lost to the Monks early and dropped a 5-1 decision to Albertus Magnus on October 1st.
Historically speaking:
The Monks and Cadets have played exactly even – three wins apiece and one tie – during the five-year history of the series. Norwich defeated St. Joe's by a 4-0 score in the first-ever meeting between the conference counterparts, but neither side has scored more than two goals against the other in six meetings since.
Recipe for success:
A revamped defense has helped the Monks turn a corner this season, as the side ranks second in the GNAC in goals against average (0.99), goals allowed (18) and save percentage (.814) and has allowed more than two goals in just three games all fall. St. Joe's has outscored opponents by a 39-18 margin this season, with the goal differential tied for the best in program history and the goal tally ranking third all time. Having been shut out just twice all year, the SJC offense has proven to be opportunistic and timely with big goals at the right moments.
Norwich leads the conference in fewest shots on goal allowed per game (4.12) and has outscored opponents by a slim 36-29 margin during the 2011 campaign. The Cadets have been blanked just twice and have allowed more than three scores on three occasions this year. The visitors feature a balanced scoring attack as five Cadets have scored at least three goals and four have 10 or more points this season.
Both clubs have shown the propensity to produce more offense in the second half than the first.
Attitude reflects leadership:
Head Coach Steve Babineau (33-24-3, .579), now in his third season at Saint Joseph's, has guided the Royal Blue to the postseason in each of his three years including a GNAC Championship and the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009.
Norwich skipper Kyle Dezotell (81-36, .692), now in his sixth year at the helm, led the Cadets to an ECAC New England Championship in 2007 and saw his side defeat Saint Joseph's in the 2008 GNAC title contest. Coach Dezotell also guided the Johnson State College Badgers for two years and has garnered a trio of Coach of the Year honors over seven seasons on the sideline.
Who to watch:
Johnson has been a force to be reckoned with this fall as the sophomore transfer from Lasell College leads the conference in game-winning goals (7) and ranks second in both goals (16) and points (36) through 18 contests. The recent GNAC Player of the Week recipient has been on fire of late with 11 markers in the Monks' last eight matches and is currently tied atop the SJC single-season goals leader list.
Sanfilippo ranks second on the team in goals (7) and points (18) and Suleski paces the side in assists (8) and is third in total points (14). In net, Grade has enjoyed a breakout year and boasts a 1.02 goals against average to go with an .810 save percentage and five shutouts as a first-year starter.
Shufelt is the Cadet's offensive leader with six goals and five assists for 17 total points and is closely followed by Joe Young '14 (Langley, Va.), who has seven goals and 16 points with a team-high three winners in 19 games. Ryan Robertson '12 (Northfield, Vt.) (6-3-15) and Wesley Keslin '14 (Brossard, Que.) (3-4-10) round out the top scorers for Norwich.
Hallstrom has emerged as the Norwich netminder and has performed well with a 1.12 goals against average and a .797 save percentage to go with four shutouts in 11 starts.
