PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Norwich women's hockey team started off the second semester with a 3-1 upset victory over No. 3 Plattsburgh at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena on Wednesday night.
The Cadets (9-3-0, 6-0-0 ECAC East) played their first game in exactly one month and avenged an earlier 4-2 loss to Plattsburgh on Dec. 3.
With the score tied 1-1, junior forward Melissa Rundlett picked up right where she left off from the first semester and continued her hot streak by scoring her seventh goal of the season just 40 seconds into the third period to give Norwich a 2-1 lead.
Brittane Michaud sent a centering feed from behind the net that Rundlett tapped past Plattsburgh goalie Mandy Mackrell at the top of the crease.
Plattsburgh (10-2-1, 6-1-0 ECAC West) turned up the pressure to try and find the equalizer, however, Norwich senior goaltender Cindy Fortin was brilliant in the third period as she stopped all 17 shots Plattsburgh threw at her to shutdown the high-octane Cardinal offense.
Fortin finished with 28 saves to pick up her seventh win of the season and earn the No. 1 star of the game in her best performance since the opening weekend of play at the East/West Hockey Classic.
Freshman forward Renee Lortie extended the lead to 3-1 at the 11:00 mark when she banged home a loose rebound after Mackrell made an initial save on Julie Fortier.
At the start of the game both teams struggled to generate offense as neither team registered a shot on goal for almost a full five minutes. The Cadets didn't get their first shot until the 6:14 mark of the period off a shot from Jillayne DeBus.
However, senior captain Sophie Leclerc opened the scoring at the 14:52 mark of the first period with her team-leading 12th goal of the season off an assist from Michaud.
Michaud chipped the puck up the boards to Leclerc who corralled the puck at center ice. Leclerc skated in from right wing, made a half turn to protect the puck from a Plattsburgh defender at the edge of the circle and then flipped the puck past Mackrell's blocker on the backhand to give the Cadets a 1-0 lead.
Plattsburgh leveled the score just 3:20 into the second period when Amber Welch stole the puck behind the Norwich net.
She centered a pass to Teal Gove who didn't get all of it, but got enough of her stick on it and the puck knuckled over Fortin's shoulder into the back of the net to tie the game at one.
DeBus nearly gave Norwich the lead back with 4:46 to play while shorthanded. She stole the puck from a Plattsburgh defenseman and then rang it off the post while trying to beat Mackrell short side.
Norwich had a flurry of chances in the last minute with the puck sitting on the doorstep of the crease, but no one could find then handle and poke it past Mackrell.
Mackrell made 20 saves for Plattsburgh to drop to 7-2-1 on the season. The senior goaltender made 41 saves against Norwich in Plattsburgh's 4-2 win earlier this season at Kreitzberg Arena.
Norwich continues its road trip this weekend as the Cadets head to Holy Cross to take on the Crusaders on Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by Salve Regina on Saturday at 7 p.m. as well.
