NORTHFIELD, Vt. — Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey suffered a 5-1 setback at No. 4 Norwich University in a non-conference game on Wednesday night inside Kreitzberg Arena.

After neither team scored for the first half of the first period, Plattsburgh State (4-8-1) got on the scoreboard when senior forward and alternate captain Joe Drabin (Rochester, N.Y./Wenatchee Wild) scored his second goal of the season at the 14:25 mark. Drabin skated the puck from the Plattsburgh State defensive zone into the right side of the Cardinals' offensive zone before unleashing a wrist shot from near the right face-off dot that beat the goaltender on the blocker side. Junior goaltender Lawson Fenton (Medina, N.Y./Coquitlam Express) and senior defenseman Andrew Pizzo (Thorold, Ontario/Niagara University) assisted on the play. With the assist on Drabin's goal, Fenton tallied his first collegiate point. 

However, Norwich (10-2-1) would tie the game at 16:03 of the first period. A Cadet slap shot from the high slot missed the net, but the puck bounced to the left side of the Plattsburgh State net where Jordan Hall pounced on the rebound and released a quick shot for the goal. Josh Cronin and Brett Ouderkirk tallied assists on the goal.

Norwich took control of the game in the second period as Plattsburgh State was outscored 3-0 period to make the score 4-1 in favor of the Cadets at the second intermission. At the 2:42 mark, Scott Swanson wired a wrist shot from the right side of the low slot that went in on the blocker side to make the score 2-1. Assisting on the play were Michael Korol and Braedyn Aubin. 

Just over four minutes later, Ouderkirk Increased the Norwich lead to 3-1 with a power-play goal at the 6:46 mark. With traffic in front of the Plattsburgh State net, Ouderkirk took a low wrist shot from the high slot that got past a screened Fenton. Connor Swystun and Taeron Lewis tallied the assists.

Norwich's final goal of the second period that made the score 4-1 was scored by Gabriel Chicoine at 18:50. Chicoine took a slap shot from the left point that made it through traffic in front of the net and inside the right post for the goal. Matt Burchill and Felix Brassard garnered the assists.

In the third period of play, Plattsburgh State was unable to mount a comeback and Norwich added one more goal to make the final score 5-1. Ryan Boucher scored a short-handed goal at 2:31 of the third period. He skated the puck into the left side of the Cardinal zone and scored with a high wrist shot that was taken from just to the left of the left face-off dot. Swystun and Cronin recorded the assists.

The Cardinals had 29 shots on goal in the game, but Tom Aubrun (10-2-1) made 28 saves in goal for the Cadets. Fenton (0-1-0) stopped 27 of the 32 shots he faced in net for Plattsburgh State.

Plattsburgh State was 0-of-4 on the power play. Norwich finished 1-of-4 with the man advantage and also scored a short-handed goal.  

Plattsburgh State next hosts non-conference foe Wesleyan University for Law Enforcement and First Responders Night at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. Norwich plays at Suffolk University on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m.