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Black makes big third period saves to propel Green Knights over Thunder

By Murray Gleffe

Correspondent


ASHWAUBENON—T.J. Black made 15 third period saves to lift the No. 6 ranked St. Norbert College Green Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Trine University Thunder, Jan. 26, where 983 watched from the Cornerstone Community Ice Center.

“We came out and got the start we wanted,” said Andy Brandt, St. Norbert assistant coach. “However, there were parts of the game where we settled in and took our foot off the gas.”

Keegan Milligan, Peter Bates, and Peyton Frantti each had a goal for the Green Knights while Black made 29 saves in goal.

A total of 16 penalties were handed out in the game.

Just seven minutes into the contest, Trine took back to back penalties and St. Norbert took advantage. Kurt Black wheeled around inside the blue line and laced a beautiful pass to Milligan who stuffed home the opening goal of the game.

With 9:54 left in the opening period, the Thunder went on their first power play having not registered a shot on goal.

That all changed just 37 seconds later when Thunder forward Alex Johanson went top shelf to beat Black.

The Green Knights answered back with a second power play goal just under a minute later when Bates sent a penetrating slapper in that hit the back part of the Thunder net with authority.

St. Norbert dominated the opening stanza with a 13-5 shots on goal advantage but only held a 2-1 lead on the scoreboard.

No goals were generated in the middle period, but it wasn’t without its fireworks.

With 14:04 left, William Casey (Trine) was hauled off to the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct for what was deemed ‘spraying the goaltender’.

The Green Knights had a 5-on-3 advantage midway through the period but couldn’t find pay-dirt.

“We had three opportunities with a two-man advantage, and they had one,” added Brandt. “It was a closely called game and we have to have our special teamers or playmakers turn it up on the power play which we did tonight.”

St. Norbert took an early two goal advantage just three and a half minutes into the final period when Dominick Sacco found Frantti on a cross and he easily put the puck home.

The Thunder (Angola, Indiana) would not go away as they once again cut the margin to one goal after Michael Meisenbacher scored on a breakaway. He was the recipient of a pass from Brandon Krumpschmid just as Trine’s penalty was expiring.

With a precarious 3-2 lead, the Green Knights endured countless close calls the final nine minutes of the game. Black perhaps had his best save of the night with just under a minute to go when Garrett Hallford grazed the cross bar.

St. Norbert has now won five in a row and improve to 14-4-3 overall, 10-3-1 NCHA.

“Tyler Andrews had some great blocks late and that was T.J. Black’s win the way he played down the stretch,” said Brandt about his goaltender.

The Green Knights will travel to College of St. Scholastica (Feb. 1) and Northland College (Feb. 2) for two conference tilts.

Box Score:

Trine: 1, 0, 1—2

St. Norbert: 2, 0, 1—3

Shots on Goal:

Trine: 5, 10, 16—31

St. Norbert: 13, 6, 10—29

 

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Green Knights goaltender No. 29 T.J. Black stops Trine's No. 10 Alex Johanson from scoring late in the game
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