The Cadet's Pier-Oliver Cotnoir (#14, right) scores the goal that gave Norwich a 2-1 victory over St. Norbert's (Minn.) and the NCAA Div III Men's Hockey Championship in Lake Placid, N.Y. Last Saturday. The goal came with just 31 seconds left in the second "Sudden Death" twenty minute overtime. Cotnoir's teammate, Craig Serino (#10, in White) starts the huge celebration that followed. The Title winning goal came in the 100th minute of the title game and put the Ice Cadets final record at 25-1-4 in the 100th season of Norwich hockey. Photo by Bill Croney, The Northfield News LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Freshman F Pier-Oliver Cotnoir netted the game-winning late in the second overtime period to lift the No. 1-ranked Norwich University men’s ice hockey team to a 2- 1 victory over third-ranked St. Norbert College in the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship game Saturday afternoon at Herb Brooks Arena.

Cotnoir scored the goal, his 13th of the season, with just 31 seconds to play in the second overtime to help the Cadets (25- 1-4) win their third Division III national championships. The championship is a fitting conclusion to the program’s 100th season of hockey. The Cadets’ previous national titles came in 2000 and 2003.

Norwich held a whopping 72- 34 edge in shots for the game, but the Cadets were only able to get two of them past St. Norbert goaltender B.J. O’Brien, who stood on his head throughout the contest. The Cadets peppered O’Brien with 35 shots in the extra sessions, but they were not able to tally the gamewinning marker until the final minute of the second overtime.

Norwich senior G Ryan Klingensmith stopped 33 of the 34 shots that he faced to pick up the victory between the pipes for the Cadets.

Norwich jumped on top at 11:30 of the first period when junior F Chad Anderson scored a power play goal. The marker, which was Anderson’s 13th of the season, was assisted by Cotnoir and sophomore F Emmond Bell.

St. Norbert (24-3-3) tallied the equalizer at 9:36 of the second period when Sam Tikka potted an even strength goal off an assist from Matt Boyd.

Both goaltenders took over during the third period and into the overtime frames.

The Cadets had to kill off a penalty late in the second overtime to extend the game, and they scored the game-winning goal less than five minutes after the St. Norbert power play expired.

Norwich went 1-for-4 on the power play, while St Norbert went scoreless in six opportunities on the man-advantage.

Three members of its squad earned All-America honors.

Senior G Ryan Klingensmith and senior D Eric Tallent picked up first-team accolades, while junior F Chad Anderson was presented second-team plaudits.

The top-ranked Cadets, who are in Lake Placid to compete in the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four, officially heard of the awards at the NCAA banquet.

Klingensmith, who leads all of Division III hockey with a microscopic 1.31 goals-against average and ranks fifth nationally with a .930 save percentage, was named a first team All- American for the first time in his career. The former walk-on from Morton, Pa., has forged a 22-1- 3 record this season and collected a program-record six shutouts.

Tallent earned first team laurels at defense after yet another fine season. The native of Garland, Texas, was one of Norwich’s best offensive defenseman this year with seven goals, 13 assists and 20 points. A stalwart on the Cadets’ power play, Tallent is a physical presence along the NU blue line.

Anderson, meanwhile, has enjoyed a “breakout” season for the Cadets. The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, product leads the team in assists (24), while listing second on the club in both goals (12) and points (36). The firstteam all-conference standout also ranks among the team leaders in power play markers (three) and game-winning tallies (three).

It marks the 12th straight season that Norwich has boasted at least one All-American. The three honorees are the most for the Cadets since 2006 when Garrett Winder, Brian Mullally and Rick Cleaver were all honored. NU earned two first-team All-Americans for the first time since 2004 (Kurtis McLean, Lou DiMasi).