LAKE FOREST, Ill. - St. Norbert College rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period to post a pulsating 7-6 overtime win over Lake Forest College in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
The Green Knights (13-3, 9-0 NCHA) were able to extend their winning streak to 12 games despite trailing 6-3 with just over 13 minutes left in regulation time.
Peter Bates, playing just 20 miles up the road from his hometown of Evanston, ignited the rally with a goal just 37 seconds later, scoring at 7:36 to bring St. Norbert back to within striking distance at 6-4. Bates scored again at 13:57 to tighten the grip on the momentum, and then he knotted the score at 6-6 at 16:32 on a wraparound chance, his fourth of the game and 18th of the season.
Michael McChesney then buried a 2-on-1 opportunity just 1:27 into the 3-on-3 overtime session, off assists from
Jordon Halverson and Bates, to complete the wild comeback.
The Green Knights had to fight uphill from the early going, when Lake Forest took a 2-0 lead on a power-play goal by Noah Furman at 9:10 of the first period and a 4-on-4 marker by David Cohen at 11:25. Bates brought the Green Knights back to within 2-1 when he scored at 16:00 of the first period.
The Foresters (6-9-1, 4-4-1) scored another power-play goal just 30 seconds into the second period off a Matteas Derraugh shot.
Carter Hottmann scored at 2:49 for St. Norbert, and the Green Knights tied things up at 3-3 on
Liam Fraser's 11th goal of the season at 11:15. Lake Forest would push back ahead at 12:25 on a Hardy Wagner power-play goal, and the 4-3 lead would carry into the start of the third period.
Lake Forest scored twice just 44 seconds apart to take a 6-3 lead, with Jared Gerger scoring at 6:15 and Ryan Kropp at 6:59.
Bates led St. Norbert with a career-high five-point game, giving him 133 points in his career and move into seventh place on the St. Norbert career scoring list. Bates also improved his career-goal total 55, tying him for ninth all-time at St. Norbert with Michael Hill and Spencer Carbery.
McChesney and Fraser each had one goal and one assist for two points, while Halverson,
Jack Thomas and
Peyton Frantti all had two assists apiece.
St. Norbert outshot Lake Forest 50-23, including 16-5 in the second period and 20-5 in the third period.
Johnny Roberts got the win for the Green Knights in almost 41 minutes of relief, making six saves. Lake Forest's Nick Wiencek made 43 stops.
St. Norbert was 0-for-3 on the power play, while Lake Forest converted on 3 of 5 chances.
