The Falcon men's hockey team was defeated by the #2 ranked Green Knights of St. Norbert College by a score of 3-1 in an NCHA matchup at Hunt Arena on Friday night.
The first period was full of clean hockey, big hits and strong defensive stands. The Green Knights outshot the Falcons eight to six as both teams vigorously battled for the puck for the first 20 minutes of play. Freshman goaltender Scott Lewan (Westland, MI, Alberni Valley, BCHL) shut out St. Norbert in the opening period, an impressive feat for a young goaltender against one of the premier Division III hockey programs in the nation.
In net for the Green Knights was B.J. O'Brien. The last time the Falcons faced off against O'Brien was in a weekend series in Green Bay on November 19th and 20th. O'Brien and his team were victorious 3-1 and 2-1 against the Falcons.
Scoring the first goal of the game was Joe Perry at 3:47 in the second period. The highly contested score upset both the Falcons and the noisy student section at Hunt Arena, as Lewan and the net were interfered with during the scramble of players in front of the goal. Despite the controversy, the officials determined the goal to be fair, and Perry was awarded with his fourth score of the season. Perry was assisted by Alain Joanette and Nick Tabisz.
Taylor Langford extended the Green Knight lead to two goals at 14:33 in the second period. Langford was assisted by Derek Donohue.
Andy Inderieden (Maple Grove, MN, Topeka, NAHL) received a two minute minor penalty for interference at the same time as the Green Knight's second score. The penalty proved to be crucial, as St. Norbert capitalized on the opportunity and scored a power play goal at 15:57. Scoring the goal was Seth Soley, and he was unassisted.
St. Norbert outshot River Falls 14-8 in the second period.
Aggression built up amongst several players in the third period as the Falcons fought to score their first goal of the game against the always-formidable Green Knights. At 5:29 in the third period, a skirmish broke loose that would send six players to the penalty box. Falcons Caleb Wolfgram (White Bear Lake, MN, Topeka, NAHL) received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Jon Schreiner (Lakeville, MN, Fairbanks, NAHL) and Sean Roadhouse (Tulsa, OK, Texas, NAHL) each received a minor penalty for roughing. Green Knights Joanette, Adam Hammerbeck and Zach McDonald were also cited for penalties for their involvement. Despite an equal number of men for each team going to the box, a 10 minute game misconduct penalty on Joanette gave the Falcons an eight minute power play opportunity.
The Falcons capitalized on the power play chance, scoring their first and only goal of the night. The goal came on the stick of Inderieden, and he was assisted by Justin Brossman (Littleton, CO, Sioux City, USHL) and Ben Beaudoin (Inver Grove Heights, MN, Southern Minnesota, NAHL). The score was Inderieden's fifth of the season.
The Green Knights outshot the Falcons 10-9 in the period. Making all 10 saves was Lewna for a game total of 29. O'Brien totaled 22 saves throughout the matchup. Lewan now holds a record of 8-9-1 this season, while O'Brien extends his record to 17-2-1.
With the loss, the Falcons drop to 11-12-1 on the season, going 7-10-0 in conference games. The Falcons will be concluding the regular season tomorrow night at Hunt Arena against the Pointers of UW- Stevens Point. River Falls holds a series record of 62-55-10 against the Pointers, but have dropped both their matches against them this season. The opening faceoff of the conclusion of the Falcon's season is set for 7:05 p.m.
Box Score
