The Norwich Sea Captains blanked the Bay State Bobcats 4-0 on Friday evening, November 4 at the Fitzpatrick Ice Skating Rink in North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) action. After a scoreless first period the Sea Captains scored three times in a 3:24 span during the middle of the second period before adding another goal in the third. Goaltender Brendan Pellerito made 20 saves to earn the shutout in the Norwich net.
Jacob Begich’s first NA3HL goal opened the scoring 8:28 into the second period. He collected a loose puck after a strong defensive play from Brian Essing to gain possession of the puck just inside the Norwich zone. The Alaskan sped through the neutral zone and deked the Bay State goaltender with a nifty forehand to backhand move before roofing the puck. 27 seconds later Jameson Bain deflected home a Chris Hamilton point shot to double the Norwich lead. Tim Hayden also assisted on the tally. Then at the 11:52 mark Sava Makarenko tipped home a Darrell Smith shot to put the Sea Captains up by three. Teagen Beier earned the second assist on Makarenko’s goal which gave Norwich the 3-0 lead after forty minutes of play.
Norwich’s solid team defensive effort was backstopped by a strong game in the goal crease from Pellerito. He made six third period saves to secure his first shutout of the season while Cam Hultin extended the Sea Captains lead to 4-0 when he jammed his own rebound through the Bobcats netminder’s five hole with 12:35 left in the game. Quinten Olshan and Mitchell Goodman earned assists on the goal.
“It was great to get this big win tonight coming off a tough loss in Danbury last weekend. Our team played confidently in front of Pelle tonight and that was a significant factor in earning the shutout victory. It really felt good to score a big goal and contribute to the team’s success,” said Begich.
The Sea Captains have the rest of the weekend off, but they have a buyt week next week. They will host a youth hockey clinic on Friday, November 11 at the RoseGarden Ice Arena. Registration can be found HERE. All players who attend the clinic will get a FREE ticket to that evening’s Military Appreciation Night game against the Northeast Generals at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game, and all other Norwich home games, can be purchased HERE. The Sea Captains will travel to Attleboro, MA on Saturday evening, November 12 for a 7 PM return engagement with the Generals.