A golden opportunity to help their Pairwise and their overall resume squandered. I watched the game on TV last night (with the benefit of being able to back up and replay) and I don't know what to think. This is the most undisciplined Cardinal team I've ever seen. I'll start with the play in the third where the Cardinal and Cadet were jousting in front of the Cadet net. I thought the Cadet gave a small cross-check to the back to start it, but the Cardinal gave what he got. Then the Cardinal turns around (and watching the replay, I can't see why) and shoves the Cadet goaltender. Penalty Cardinals. Stupid, undisciplined play.
Later in the third, the Cadets attempted a stretch pass. Plattsburgh forward Bennett Stockdale meets him in the neutral zone with a hard, but clean (to me) check. I watched it several times looking for contact to the head or anything illegal. I didn't see it. Did the Cardinals reputation give them that penalty? Rarely do you see four power plays in the third period of a game like this. Norwich had all four of them.
All in all, Norwich had seven power plays to Plattsburgh's two. This is becoming a trend as Saturday in Brockport, the hosts had 5 power plays to Plattsburgh's two. I'm guessing it's a combination of Plattsburgh's lack of discipline and they now have a reputation. They are now 15th in the country in penalty minutes per game (that's come down since they stopped taking a five-minute major every game as they were earlier in the season). We aren't used to that from Plattsburgh teams.