APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University men's hockey team battled No. 6 St. Norbert College to the limit Friday at the Appleton Ice Center, but the Green Knights scored twice in the final three minutes to grab a 5-2 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association victory.
    Despite the loss, Lawrence clinched a berth in the NCHA Harris Cup playoffs for the second straight year and the fifth time in the past six seasons. The Vikings have 20 points on the season and could finish as high as fifth depending on the outcome of Saturday's regular-season finale at St. Norbert.
    Lawrence trailed 2-0 after the opening three minutes, but the Vikings rallied to tie the score at 2-2 early in the second period. St. Norbert (19-5-0, 14-3-0 NCHA) scored early in the third period to pull ahead and then added two goals in the final 3:11 to seal the victory.
    After giving up a pair of early goals, the Vikings (7-14-2, 6-10-1) fought back on the power play. Cory Checco scored his second goal of the season on the man-advantage at the 16:40 mark of the first. Checco's goal came off assists from Jayden Jensen and PJ Noonan and sliced St. Norbert's lead in half.
    Lawrence then tied it at 2-2 on the power play early in the second period. After St. Norbert's Dayton Deics was sent off for kneeing just 28 seconds into the second, the Vikings went on the power play. Ethan Beaumont scored with just seven seconds left on the power play, and his goal at the 2:21 mark came off assists from Checco and Noonan. 
    The score stayed that way until early in the third when Carter Hottmann put St. Norbert ahead for good with his goal at the 4:26 mark. Byron Hartley added a big insurance goal at the 16:49 mark, and the Green Knights got an empty-net goal at 18:08.
    Lawrence goaltender Nolan Mahaffey stopped 42 shots, including 21 in the second period, for the Vikings. Hunter Garvey made 18 saves for St. Norbert.