NU men's hockey starts season 4-0; continue title chase

By Ronnel Daniels
Norwich Guidon Sports Editor

Sophomore Kurtis McLean scored two goals and assisted on another as the Norwich University Cadets' ice hockey team posted a 6-2 win over New England College in an exhibition game at the Kreitzberg Arena on Friday, November 15, 2002. Norwich trailed 0-1 after the Pilgrims' Ryan Brewer tallied 5:30 into the first period.

McLean got the Cadets' even with the power play goal at 9:30, knocking home the rebound of shot from the point by Chris Fuss. The Cadets grabbed the lead for good on the goal on the power play at 11:59 by Ed Boudreau of Weymouth, Mass.

The Cadets scored three times in the third period to put the game away on goals by Vadim Beliaev on a breakaway, Boudreau (his second of the night), and freshman Mike Serba. Norwich out-shot the Pilgrims 44-25. Kevin Schieve and Randy Hevey from Chicopee, Mass., split time in net for Norwich. Schieve made 12 saves, while Hevey stopped 13.

Norwich opened the regular season against Connecticut College on November 22, 2002. The Cadets won the game 11-2. On Saturday, November 23, the Cadets skated against Tufts and won 5-3.

Chris Fuss scored on a slap shot with 2:05 left in the third period, to lift Norwich to a 5-4 win over Middlebury in the first round of the PrimeLink Shootout at Kreitzberg Arena on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2002.

Fuss' shot capped a late rally that saw the Cadets score twice in the final six minutes to post the win. Norwich led 2-1 after one period, and the two squads were tied at 3-3 entering the third.

Middlebury's Adam Foote gave the Panthers a lead when he broke in on Norwich goalie Kevin Schieve and took a point blank shot, sliding into the crease and crashing into Schieve as the shot when in.

Norwich finally evened the game at the 15:53 mark when Vadim Beliaev slid one past Middlebury goaltender Yen I Chen on the 5 on 3 power play. Fuss then netted an even strength goal at 17:55 off of the remnants of a power play with a blast from the left point.

The win lifts Norwich's record to 3-0 on the season, and gives Norwich head coach Mike McShane his 150th win at the helm of the Cadets. Norwich advances to play Potsdam in the tournament final on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Potsdam advanced after skating to a 3-3 tie with Plattsburgh by winning a penalty shot shoot out, 2-1. Norwich will be looking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles in the Primelink, and to become the first team to win three titles. This is the fifth annual PrimeLink Shootout.

The Primelink Great Northern Shootout has been good to Norwich. For the third time in the five-year history of the tournament, and for the second year in a row, the Cadets were crowned champions.

Special teams played a big role in the 5-2 victory over Potsdam State as Norwich scored once on the power play and twice shorthanded, while killing eight of nine penalties. Although the final margin was three, the outcome was in doubt until Norwich scored two goals, twice in a span of 1:39, in the third.

McLean, who was named tournament MVP for the second straight year, won a footrace to a loose puck at center ice, skated just across the blue line, and teed up a major-league slapshot that beat Ryan Venturelli for the power-play goal. Mike Serba then iced it with a shorthanded tally at 8:03.

The game was extremely physical, and the officials let the teams play early.

" I think physically, they're as strong as any team we've played in a long time," Norwich coach Mike McShane said. "They played very, very tough, very physical. Our hands were full tonight. But our kids got the big goals when they had to."

Jon Grabie staked Norwich to a 1-0 lead at 11:06 of the first. Aaron Lee won a draw to Venturelli's right, the puck was touched back to the left point, and Grabie ripped it home.

McLean made it 2-0 at 12:33. Coming out of the left corner, McLean circled in front and knocked Venturelli's water bottle off the net with a shot just under the crossbar.

"We kind of noticed their wingers were staying up high," said McLean. "So when I came out of the corner on the first one, they didn't sink down and let me cut right in the middle and, luckily, I got it upstairs."

"We were playing pretty well, and then they came down and got a funny goal," McShane said. "It changed the momentum and got them fired up." As they had all weekend, the Cadets had an answer. This time it was shorthanded and a backbreaker.

With just 13 seconds left in the second and Norwich a man down, Matt Schmidt got what proved to be the game-winner. Stealing the puck right at his own blue line, Schmidt streaked the length of the ice and lifted the puck over the shoulder of the butter flying Venturelli. Hevey played extremely well in the Norwich net, stopping 28 shots.

Norwich moves to 4-0 and will travel to Amherst on December 6 at 7 p.m. and Hamilton on December 7 at 3 p.m.

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