The Falcon men's hockey team was defeated by the Green Knights of St. Norbert College in Green Bay on Friday night by a score of 3-1.
The Falcons knew they were in for a challenge on Friday night as they headed on the road to hostile territory to face off against the runner-ups for the DIII NCAA Championship. The #3 ranked Green Knights showed the 1079 fans in attendance that they are a championship contender again this year as the two hockey powerhouses battled it out at the Cornerstone Center.
The Falcons took an early lead just 40 seconds into the match on the stick of Alec Hagaman (Peoria, IL, Topeka, NAHL). The goal was the fifth of the freshman forward's season, and he was assisted by Justin Brossman (Littleton, CO, Sioux City, USHL) and Jeff Burke (New Richmond, Topeka, NAHL). Hagaman's early goal would end up being the only Falcon score of the game.
Falcon goaltender Scott Lewan (Westland, MI, Alberni Valley, BCHL) shut out the Green Knights offense for the entire first period, making 11 saves in the process. B.J. O'Brien made 7 saves for St. Norbert.
The Green Knight's offense kicked it into full gear in the second period, scoring all three of their goals for the game. Mike Bernardy put St. Norbert on the scoreboard with his first goal of the season at 1:30. Bernardy was assisted by Kyle Stroh and Brandon Hoogenboom. Brandon Longely scored the second goal of the period at 14:51 with assists coming from Johan Ryd and Scott Pulak. Nick Tabisz put the nail in the coffin with the third goal of the game at 16:57. Tabisz was assisted by Hoogenboom and Stroh. Lewan and O'Brien tallied seven and nine saves respectively.
Both goaltenders showed strong performances in the third period, keeping their opponents high powered offenses off the scoreboard. Lewan tallied nine saves for a total of 29 in the game and played in net for the entire 60 minutes. O'Brien made ten saves in the period for a total of 23 in the game.
The Falcons have fallen to 3-4-1 on the season with a record of 2-3 in NCHA conference play. UWRF looks to rebound from the disappointing loss tomorrow night as they will face off against St. Norbert for the second game of the weekend series. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:05 at the Cornerstone Center.
Box Score
