D-III West weekend wrap Nov. 18: St. Norbert rebounds with big weekend

T.J. Black of St. Norbert (Steve Frommell, d3photography.com)
T.J. Black of St. Norbert came up big this weekend. (Steve Frommell, d3photography.com)

St. Norbert needed a big win after falling to Adrian a week ago. Wisconsin-Eau Claire was looking to keep its perfect record intact.

The Green Knights prevailed in the end Friday night, knocking off the Blugolds, 2-1, at home in a battle of nationally ranked teams. Ranked fourth in the nation, the Green Knights struck first on a goal by Roman Uchyn. It was Uchyn’s third goal of the year.

Wis.-Eau Claire tied the game, 1-1, when Kyle Froese punched in a goal at 11:23 of the second period. Riley Christensen took the lead back for good just over eight minutes later when he scored on a power play. Christensen’s goal was his sixth of the year as he helped the Green Knights win a crucial nonconference game and improve to 4-2. Christensen also dished out an assist in the win. Brendon Gysbers tallied two assists.

T.J. Black made 22 saves to pace the Green Knights against the fifth-ranked Blugolds, who dropped to 7-1 on the season. Zach Dyment came up with 23 saves for the Blugolds.

On Saturday night, St. Norbert and top-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point skated to a 1-1 tie. Both teams were scoreless through two periods. Uchyn scored his fourth goal of the year to put St. Norbert on top 1-0. Ryan Bittner tied the game at 1-1 and force overtime. Connor Ryckman made 25 saves for the Pointers. Black came through with 19 saves.

Auggies sweep series
Augsburg swept a series against Saint Mary’s over the weekend, capping it with a 4-1 win over the Cardinals Saturday. The Auggies won Friday’s game, 2-1, and are now all alone in first place in the MIAC.

On Saturday, Augsburg scored four unanswered goals to earn the win, improving to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Alex Rodriguez was among the players who scored in the win, punching in his ninth goal of the season. Chandler Madry dished out two assists. John O’Connor, Austin Dollimer, and Matt Hines also scored goals for the Auggies, who won despite being outshot, 29-25. The goal by Hines was the first of his career.

The Auggies have had 13 players score goals this season, and a total of 17 players have either scored a goal or dished out an assist. Augsburg has outscored the opposition 28-14. The goals allowed is the lowest in the conference.

Johnnies take down the Oles
Saint John’s had four different players score goals in a 4-0 win over St. Olaf Sunday. The win caps a series sweep of St. Olaf. Saint John’s won Saturday’s game, 5-2. Andrew Lindgren stepped up in goal, stopping all 28 shots the Oles took against him. Travis Brown scored on a power play. It was his first goal of the season.
Braden Altena, Evan Okeley, and Brady Dahl also scored for the Johnnies, who took a total of 41 shots. Okeley now has four goals on the year.

Upset special for Blue Devils
Wisconsin-Stout used a stellar defensive effort to stun seventh-ranked Marian, 4-0, Saturday on the road. The shutout is the third of the season for the Blue Devils, who saw Tommi Ahlgren stop 27 shots. The Blue Devils are now 6-2 on the season. Lucas Carroll and Alex Bowe scored the first two goals for Wis.-Stout. Arturas Laukaitis and Alex Toscano also scored goals for the Blue Devils. Logan Nelson dished out two assists.

The Blue Devils opened the weekend with a 3-0 win over Lawrence on Friday. They have won their last four games overall. Ahlgren made 32 saves. Wis.-Stout is one victory away from matching last season’s total. The Blue Devils are aiming for their first double-digit win season since the 2016-17 campaign, when they won 12 games.

Lumberjacks knock off Falcons
Northland prevailed 3-2 in overtime over Wisconsin-River Falls Saturday night. Cole Woodliffe scored the game-winner. The Falcons led, 1-0, in the second period before Kalib Ford tied the score at 1-1. Wis.-River Falls led, 2-1, in the third before Max Glashauser forced overtime with a goal he scored with less than a minute left in regulation. Lucas DeBenedet dished out a pair of assists, and David Krejcik came up big in goal, making 27 saves. Northland held a 32-29 advantage in shots. The win was the third in a row for Northland, which has scored three or more goals in each of its games during the streak.