There’s a different coach behind the bench. But there’s no change to this fact: Norwich is darn tough on home ice.
The NCAA Division 3 tournament has arrived at its quarterfinal round, and the two remaining teams from the region will face off in Northfield, Vt., on Saturday, when 12th-ranked University of New England plays at No. 4 Norwich (7 p.m.) with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line.
Like it did during the lengthy tenure of Mike McShane (Wakefield, Mass.), Norwich has established a home-ice advantage under first-year coach Cam Ellsworth. In 16 games at Kreitzberg Arena this season, the Cadets (21-4-3) have won 14, lost one and tied one.
“I think at the Division 3 level, it’s the fans that sets us apart,” said Ellsworth recently. “The fans, the alumni, the people that support this program -- I think they’re just phenomenal.”
The two non-wins came earlier in the season -- an inexplicable 1-0 loss to Suffolk on Dec. 1, one that saw the Cadets finish with a 35-21 edge in shots; and a 3-3 tie with Endicott during the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament on Jan. 5.
But if there’s a team that shouldn’t be daunted by a hostile environment, it’s UNE (21-6-2), which visited No. 8 Trinity in a first-round game Saturday and skated away with a 2-1 win, setting a new program record for victories and reaching the quarterfinal round for the first time in program history.
Following a scoreless first frame, Ryan Bloom put UNE ahead 6:55 into the second period with a wrap-around, extending his single-season school record to 22 goals. Tyler Seltenreich buried a one-timer at the right post with 15 seconds left in the period to extend the lead to 2-0.
Ben Churchfield was superb in the UNE net, tying a season-best with 43 saves and allowing just a single goal, to the Bantams’ Taggart Corriveau (New Britain, Conn.) midway through the final period.
“I thought the UNE goalie played well and we had two or three good opportunities that we just couldn’t capitalize on,” said Trinity coach Matt Greason (North Bridgton, Maine). “After we got one, I felt like it was just a matter of when and not if we would get another one, but things didn’t bounce our way like they have been.”
Tedy Loughborough (Wellesley, Mass.) had 28 stops for Trinity (19-4-5), which had not lost in its previous 16 outings. Brady Fleurent (Biddeford, Maine) assisted on both UNE goals.
Two other teams from the region dropped first-round NCAA games. No. 11 UMass-Boston couldn’t make a third-period lead hold up and got overtaken by Manhattanville, 6-4, despite two goals from Chris Peters.
Plymouth State skated hung on the road against No. 7 Hobart, but suffered a 2-1 loss despite 38 saves from senior goalie Evan Morelli (North Reading, Mass.).
The other quarterfinals Saturday are Hobart at No. 5 Oswego, Manhattanville at No. 2 Geneseo, and No. 3 St. Norbert at No. 1 Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
This will be the 17th meeting between the Nor'easters and Norwich, and UNE's only two victories in the all-time series have come in the last two games, both at Kreitzberg Arena -- a 4-3 overtime win in their final contest as league foes in 2015-16, and a 1-0 result last season to claim Norwich's holiday tournament.
Linemates Fleurent (13-35-48) and Bloom (22-21-43) both rank among the top seven nationally in scoring for the Nor’easters, whose 4.69 goals per game rank second in Division 3 behind Geneseo.
Norwich is winning games with defense, ranking third nationally with 1.59 goals allowed per game. Tom Aubrun is among the national leaders in GAA (1.68) and save percentage (.928).
Team of the Week
University of New England
New England teams went 1-2 in NCAA first-round games Saturday, with the Nor’easters the only winner. Under fourth-year coach Kevin Swallow, they’re now trying to advance to the program’s first-ever Frozen Four.
Player of the Week
Evan Morelli, sr., G, Plymouth State
On a night when his team got outshot 40-14, Morelli kept the game level well into the third period before Hobart scored the game-winner for a 2-1 win.
His 38 saves gave him 643 for the season and 1,655 for his career. He finished the season with a 2.29 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.
Game to Watch
NCAA tournament, quarterfinals, Saturday
University of New England at Norwich, 7 p.m.
