Box Score Box score
St. Scholastica rose to the occasion at St. Norbert College's Cornerstone Center on Friday evening, earning a 2-2 tie with the No. 5 Green Knights (6-1-1, 2-0-1 NCHA) as sophomore Jordan Chong (North Vancouver, British Columbia/Dryden (SIJHL)) scored in the first and third periods while Steve Bounds (Airdrie, Alberta/Powell River (BCHL)) turned away 21 shots in net for the visiting Saints (2-5-2, 0-2-1 NCHA).
St. Norbert got on the board first with a Sam Tikka goal midway through the first period, but Chong evened things up with a score, his first goal of the season, four minutes later while the teams were skating five on five with Scholastica's Rob Rodgers (Salmon Arm, British Columbia/Salmon Arm (BCHL)) and Norbert's Tyler Allen both in the penalty box.
The tie was short-lived, though, as Matt Boyd put his Green Knights back in front with a score in the period's 18th minute.
Norbert took their 2-1 lead into the first intermission and, despite being out shot by the Saints 12 to three in the second stanza, entered the locker rooms between the second and third periods ahead by the same score.
Last season Chong was one of the heroes of the NCHA Peter's Cup march to the finals by the Saints, netting a penalty shot in the mini-game against UW-Superior, tying the score at 1-1 and sending the teams into an overtime period where the Saints put the game away with an Aaron Spotts (Spokane, Wash./Cowichan Valley (BCHL)) sudden-death goal to clinch the quarterfinal series.
Friday night Chong was at it again, notching his second goal of the evening at 4:06 in the third to pull the Saints even at 2-2. Senior captain Shawn Bartlette (East Grand Forks, Minn./Bismark (NAHL)) picked up the assist on the game-tying goal.
From there, things got messy as four players, two from each team, were assessed double-minors for roughing at the 9:26 mark. Neither team was able to break the deadlock over the remaining 10 minutes in the period sending the game to overtime.
In the extra five minute frame, the Green Knights put four shots on Bounds but the Saints netminder turned each opportunity away to preserve the tie against the team that beat the Saints in the NCHA tournament final last March, then skated into the national semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Oswego State.
On Saturday the Saints continue their weekend road trip with a game against Lake Forest College (1-8-1), loser's on Friday night to visiting UW-Superior by a 3-0 count.
