(Photo courtesy: Brian Beard/Creative Images Photography)
BRUNSWICK, Maine – The No. 3-ranked Norwich University women's ice hockey team needed a late goal by junior forward Tori Charron (Tecumseh, Ontario) to salvage a 1-1 tie with Bowdoin on Saturday night at Sid Watson Arena in non-conference action.
Charron finally solved Bowdoin senior goaltender Kayla Lessard with just 1:46 remaining in the game to level the score at one. Charron pounced on a loose rebound to slam home her team-leading 10th goal of the season into a wide-open net. Sophomore Vanessa Champagne (St. Naziere, Quebec) took the initial shot after junior forward Renee Lortie (Cornwall, Ontario) dropped the puck back to her in the slot.
Lessard and Norwich junior goalie Kelly Fisk (Hannibal, N.Y.) combined to put on a show in between the pipes for each team. Lessard finished the game with 36 saves, while Fisk turned aside 28 for the Cadets while making her 2012-13 season debut after suffering an injury in the preseason.
After a scoreless first period that saw Norwich (6-1-3, 6-1-0 ECAC East) outshoot Bowdoin 11-8, the second stanza became bogged down by a slew of penalties on each team making for little full-strength hockey.
Bowdoin (4-1-1, 2-0-0 NESCAC) finally got on the board at the 14:13 mark of the second period when Stephanie Ludy tipped home a pass from Rachel Kennedy into a wide-open net on a 5-on-3 power play. Kenzie Novak also assisted on the goal for the Polar Bears.
In the third period, both sides continued to mount quality offensive chances with a couple near misses for both teams. Just 2:30 into the final period, Charron redirected a shot off the post. At the midway point of the period, Bowdoin's Chelsea MacNeil sailed a shot high after she was all alone in front of the net. Fisk also robbed Bowdoin's Colleen Finnerty with 8:40 left in the game with a pad save after she was all alone in front of the net.
Norwich responded with a couple of grade A scoring chances of their own in search of the equalizer with Jillayne DeBus (Howell, Mich.), Tyne Gove (Berwick, Ontario) and Kaycie Anderson (Maple Plain, Minn.) all being denied in span of a few minutes late in the third.
In the five-minute overtime session, both teams once again had quality chances but Bowdoin had the final two in the waning seconds, including Fisk gobbling up a shot from Kim Tess-Wanat as the buzzer sounded.
Norwich is now off for the holiday break and will not hit the ice again until Sunday, Jan. 6 when the Cadets travel across Lake Champlain to take on rival Plattsburgh State at the Stafford Ice Arena at 4 p.m.
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