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March 25, 2008

Plattsburgh State falls to St. Nobert in championship game.

St. Norbert defeats Plattsburgh State 2-0, in Division III hockey championship

By JOHN CORYER



PLATTSBURGH -- Plattsburgh State men's hockey coach Bob Emery has always said defense wins championships.

That was never more apparent this weekend.

St. Norbert, following up on Saturday's 3-0 victory over Norwich University, frustrated the Cardinals Sunday afternoon while skating to a 2-0 win and its first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament men's hockey championship.

Senior standout Kyle Jones stopped all 32 shots that came his way as the Green Knights (27-1-4) prevailed at Herb Brooks Arena.

"They are one of the best defensive teams I have ever seen," said Emery. "Defense wins championships.

"They have the Player of the Year in Division III in goal and they take care of the front of the net. They don't allow many second or third shots -- and they had an answer for us."

The Cardinals (25-5), who skated to a 6-3 win over Elmira College the night before, stayed even with the Green Knights in a scoreless first period. Freshman goaltender Bryan Hince was up to the task with 14 saves.

"Our defensemen did a good job and I was able to see the shots in the first period," Hince said.

St. Norbert. however, broke out on top with 5:53 gone in the second period. Ryan Petersen took a shot from the side that was tipped into the net by Scott Pulak.

"On their first goal, their player took a shot from the sideboards and they had a player get in front," Emery said. "Hince had no chance."

"It's a big lift to get the first one or two goals," Pulak said. "It makes you feel confident you can win."

The Green Knights added to their lead at 10:25 on the powerplay. Marc Belanger rifled a shot from straight on between the circles over Hince's shoulder and into the net.

"I took the puck down the middle and the D' gave me a lot of space," Belanger said. "He (Hince) caught me the first time earlier in the game, but I was able to score this time. It felt good."

"Their second goal was unreal," Hince said. "It was an NHL shot."

Emery knew how dangerous it was for the Cardinals to fall behind.

"We knew Belanger could shoot the puck and we didn't want to give them the lead," he said. "We had to be prepared to win a 1-0 game. But, that goal gave them a 2-0 lead.

"Certain teams match up well with us and St. Norbert is one of them."

Perhaps the turning point in the game came later in the second stanza when St. Norbert's Pete Fylling was hit for a five-minute major for drilling Dylan Clarke from behind.

Jones and his teammates, however, were able to kill off the major, with the Cardinals managing only one shot on goal the entire time.

"We lived and died on the powerplay this season," said Emery. "Their penalty kill was great."

St. Norbert was then in position to put the contest out of reach when Plattsburgh State was called for two penalties and the Green Knights went on a five-on-three powerplay for the full two minutes late in the second.

But, the Cardinals were able hold off the Green Knights and stay in the game.

"After we killed off the major, we went on the five-on-three and had a chance to put the nail in the coffin," said St. Norbert head coach Tim Coghlin.

The frustrated Cardinals continued to try and get on the scoreboard and pulled Hince for an extra attacker with three minutes left in the third.

But, it wasn't Plattsburgh State's day.

"After watching Plattsburgh State play Elmira, I was worried," Coghlin said. "I looked at the speed of their players and the way they get all five guys involved in the play. You don't see that every day.

"But, I feel Kyle Jones is the best-ever goaltender in Division III men's hockey. We just keep finding a way. It starts with defensive responsibilities. We don't give up a lot of second and third shots."

It marked the 10th shutout of the season for Jones and the 25th of his career. The 43 goals allowed this season by St. Norbert are the fewest for any team in Division III men's hockey history.

"The shutouts are nice, but it's not comparable to bringing the trophy home," Jones said. "I try to stay calm in net and hopes it rubs off on my teammates."

"When Kyle is out of sorts, the team is out of sorts," Coghlin added.

"They clogged the middle and gave us the outside," said Plattsburgh State defenseman Nick Rolls. "They capitalized on our mistakes and we weren't able to capitalize when they made a mistake."

Hince, who also played very well, stopped 28 of 30 shots.

The Cardinals went scoreless in five power-play opportunities.

Emery said earlier in the week there would be only one happy team on Sunday.

"Hats off to St. Norbert," he said. "We did, however, have our chances to score in the first, second and third periods.

"It was an unbelievable year for us and I'm proud of the guys. We ended up as the second-best Division III team in the country. We have three seniors -- T.J. Cooper, Mike Baccaro and C.J. Tozzo -- who established the tempo for us all season. I feel bad for our players right now, especially our seniors.

"But, we're going to build our team around Hince and I think we will be back. We didn't win the final game this year and will work to get better."

--

St. Norbert 2, Plattsburgh St. 0

Score by periods:

Plattsburgh State 0 0 0 -- 0

St. Norbert 0 2 0 -- 2

First period- no scoring. Penalties- Boyd, SN (roughing), 4:37. Hammerbeck, SN (cross-checking), 18:44.

Second period- 1, SN, Pulak (Tabisz, Petersen), 5:53. 2, SN, Belanger ppg (Boyd, Tabisz), 10:25. Penalties- Thomson, PSU (interference), 9:48. Fylling, SN (five-minute major, hitting from behind, game misconduct), 13:57. Smith, PSU (hooking), 19:15. Willock, PSU (slashing), 19:15.

Third period- no scoring. Penalties- Bernardy, SN (cross-checking), 3:34. Belanger, SN (slashing), 7:24.

Shots on goal:

Plattsburgh State 10 10 12 -- 32

St. Norbert 14 10 6 -- 30

Goaltenders (shots-saves): Hince, PSU, 30-28. Jones, SN, 32-32.

Powerplays (goals-opportunities): Plattsburgh State, 0-5. St. Norbert, 1-2.

Attendance: 4,770.

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