EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin -- St. Norbert used a four-goal second period to fuel its second win against defending NCAA Division III national champion Wisconsin-Eau Claire in six days, and claimed a decisive 8-2 non-conference win against the Blugolds at Hobbs Ice Center.
The Green Knights (9-0), ranked No. 1 in the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com polls, also fashioned a four-goal second period in this past Friday's 5-2 win against fourth-ranked Eau Claire (5-2) at the Cornerstone Community Center.
St. Norbert took 1-0 lead after the first period on Erik Cooper's goal at 12:34 of the period. Cullen Bradshaw assisted, the first of his three helpers on the night.
The Green Knights then built a 5-0 advantage with their four-goal onslaught in the second period. Patrick McCadden scored just 21 seconds into the frame for a 2-0 lead. Bradshaw converted a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity at 8:31, and Michael Hill followed with markers at 10:18 and 13:37.
Jon Waggoner cut the deficit to 5-1 for Eau Claire with a power-play goal at 15:26, and that's where the score remained at the end of the period.
Emil Haque scored his first goal of the season at 2:16 to push the lead to 6-1. The Blugolds countered with a goal by Chris Heineman at 4:23. Eau Claire then had a power-play opportunity moments later, but did not score to keep the score 6-2. Hill netted his first St. Norbert hat trick with a goal at 8:55, and Joe Perry closed out the scoring when he found the back of the net at 18:05.
Bradshaw finished with four points, while Hill ended with three points. Tyler Zepeda also had a three-point game with three assists. Cooper finished with three points by adding two assists, and Marian Fiala also had two assists.
St. Norbert outshot Eau Claire 32-29. David Jacobson made 27 saves for the Green Knights. Tyler Green made 18 saves for Eau Claire in the first two periods, while Cory Simons made six stops in the third stanza.
