MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Ever since assembling the line of Melissa Rundlett, Julie Fortier and Renee Lortie for the Dec. 12 game at Amherst, the Norwich women's ice hockey team hasn't lost.
The Cadets (19-3-1, 15-0-1 ECAC East) kept that unbeaten streak alive on Tuesday night and stretched it to 13 straight with a 3-2 win over in-state rival Middlebury at the Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.
The Rundlett/Fortier/Lortie trio accounted for two of Norwich's three goals; including the game winner when Lortie found Rundlett in the middle of the slot. Rundlett corralled the pass and then beat Middlebury goaltender Alexi Bloom to the glove side to break a two-all tie and give Norwich a 3-2 lead at the 13:05 mark of the third period.
The same line also helped Norwich rally to tie the game at two after Middlebury (16-4-1, 12-1-1 NESCAC) scored the first two goals of the second period to take a 2-1 lead.
Just 1:41 after Middlebury's Sara Ugalde scored to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead, Fortier responded with her 17th goal of the season off an assist from Rundlett.
Rundlett hit Fortier in stride at the blue line from the side boards, allowing the junior forward to split the two Middlebury defenders and allow her in on Bloom. Fortier deked and then pulled the puck over to her backhand to open up Bloom's five-hole. The opening was all Fortier needed and shoved it between Bloom's pads to level the score at two.
Norwich had three golden opportunities to score in the first period. Sophie Leclerc was stoned on a breakaway after Bloom poke checked the puck away before Leclerc could make a move.
Fortier had two opportunities turned away with one coming on a 2-on-1 odd-man rush. Her first opportunity came at the 3:20 mark of the period when she walked out from behind the back of the net alone, but couldn't lift the puck and Bloom got the paddle on it. Less than a minute after Leclerc's breakaway was stoned, Bloom stuffed Fortier on a back hand attempt off an odd-man rush.
Norwich finally broke through at the 13:01 mark of the first period when Jillayne DeBus scored her 14th goal of the season. DeBus took a pass from Kayla Parsons at the blue line and skated in from the wing on Bloom. DeBus protected the puck with a Middlebury defender on her back. She faked bringing the puck over to her forehand, which drew Bloom off the near post and DeBus shoveled the puck past her on the backhand to give the Cadets a 1-0 lead.
Middlebury tied the game 2:58 into the second period when Heather Marrison gloved a puck at the blue line to keep it in the zone and catch the Norwich forwards out of position. Marrison pushed the puck up to Jennifer Krakower who sent a centering feed to Grace Waters alone in the slot. Waters beat Cindy Fortin to the post and banged the puck past the NU goaltender to tie the game.
The Panthers kept the pressure on and took their first lead of the game at the 9:39 mark with a goal from Ugalde and assists from Madeline Joyce and Maggie Woodward.
Middlebury had a goal wiped out just a minute before Rundlett's eventual game-winning goal when the referee ruled that Ugalde kicked the puck into the net after a crossing feed from Waters at the side boards.
Fortin picked up her 13th straight win in net for Norwich and Bloom took the loss for Middlebury.
Tuesday's win was the first ever for Norwich over Middlebury. The two schools had only met once before, battling to a 2-2 tie last year at Kreitzberg Arena.
The Cadets return home to Kreitzberg Arena to finish out the regular season with two homes games against Manhattanville on Saturday and then Nichols on Sunday.
