Box score
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The line of Michael Cassidy, Michael Radisa and Alex Brenton combined for four points as the Plattsburgh State men's hockey team defeated the University of Wisconsin-Superior, 4-1, in the second game of the 2013 PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut at the Stafford Ice Arena.
The Cardinals (7-0-1) struck early as Cassidy blasted a shot from the left circle at 6:31 of the first period to give Plattsburgh State a 1-0 lead. After picking up an assist on Cassidy's goal, Brenton poked a backhanded shot past UW-Superior goaltender Drew Strandberg at 9:43 to put the home team up by two.
A little over three minutes later, Yellowjackets' freshman Anton Svensson was denied by the left pad of Plattsburgh State's Mathieu Cadieux but Svensson was able to lift the loose puck over Cadieux's leg to bring this year's invitational team within one goal at the 12:57 mark.
With just 1:10 gone in the second and the Cardinals on the power play, Dillan Fox threw a pass to the front of the net but the puck deflected off a Yellowjackets' defender and through the five hole of Strandberg to give Plattsburgh State a 3-1 lead.
The Yellowjackets (3-5-0) had a chance to chip away at the two-goal deficit on a power-play opportunity with 3:03 left in the third but the Cardinals were able to hold off the visitors in the final minutes. Shortly after the Yellowjacket's power play expired, Plattsburgh State closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal from Alex Jensen at 19:14.
Plattsburgh State finished the evening with a 28-20 advantage in shots on goal. The Cardinals went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Yellowjackets were unable to convert on three attempts.
Cadieux made 19 saves in his seventh win for the Cardinals. Strandberg stopped 24 shots in the loss for the Yellowjackets.
With the win, the Cardinals will advance to the championship game for the first time since 2010. Plattsburgh State will meet Middlebury, who played Norwich to 1-1 draw in the first game. The Panthers won the shootout, 2-0, to earn their spot in the PrimeLink Championship Contest.
Saturday's game between the Cardinals and the Panthers will mark the third time the two teams will meet in the championship game of the PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut. Plattsburgh State won the first meeting in 1999 but dropped the next two to Middlebury in 2003 and 2005.
Saturday's action begins at 4 p.m. with the consolation game between the Norwich Cadets and the UW-Superior Yellowjackets.
Game 1: Norwich 1, Middlebury 1 (OT)
Courtesy of Derek Dunning, Norwich Sports Information Director
Box score
The Norwich University men's ice hockey team skated to a 1-1 draw with archrival Middlebury on Friday afternoon in the 2013 PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
However, the Cadets fell to the Panthers 2-0 in a shootout, failing to advance to the PrimeLink championship for the first time in eight years. Norwich had also won back-to-back titles coming into this year's tournament.
Middlebury's Louis Belisle and Jake Charles both beat Norwich starting goaltender Matic Marinsek, while Norwich's Chris Duszynski and Paul Russell were each stuffed by Middlebury's Mike Peters.
Middlebury struck first at the 8:32 mark of the second period when Michael Long knocked home a rebound in the crease to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead off assists from Robbie Donahoe and Evan Neugold.
Norwich knotted the game up at 1-1 on the power play with 3:47 left in the second period when freshman William Pelletier scored his second goal of the season.
Neither side was able to score in the third period, or the five-minute overtime session to force the three-player shootout that ultimately Middlebury emerged victorious in.
Marinsek made 22 saves for Norwich and is now 4-0-2 on the year. Peters made 25 saves for Middlebury and is now 3-0-2 on the year for the Panthers.
