Box Score
Video Highlights by Tanner Acebo, NU Sports Information
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University women's ice hockey team kept to its winning ways in its first game of 2015, downing Utica College 2-1 on Friday afternoon in non-conference action at Kreitzberg Arena.
After closing 2014 with eight straight wins, the Cadets got goals from senior forward Kaycie Anderson (Maple Plain, Minn.) and junior Rachel Bellio (Denver, Colo.) to stretch its winning streak to nine straight games.
Anderson's goal marked her 100th career point at Norwich as she became the sixth player in NU women's hockey history to reach the milestone. She has 39 goals and 61 assists in 98 career games.
Freshman goalie Laurie King (Waddington, N.Y.) also made 15 saves to pick up her second win of the season in the pipes for Norwich.
After a scoreless first period, Norwich (9-1-1, 6-0-0 ECAC East) got on the board with Anderson converting on a 5-on-3 power play advantage after Utica failed to clear the zone to put the Cadets up 1-0. Anderson found a loose puck in the middle of the left faceoff circle and fired a wrist shot past Utica goalie Keira Goin that caught the Pioneer goalie off guard.
The Cadets extended their lead less than a minute later with Bellio tipping a blast from senior defenseman Liz Gemmiti (Toronto, Ontario) into the back of the net to make it 2-0 Norwich. Gemmiti fired a slap shot on net from the high slot that Bellio got a stick on in the crease for her second goal of the season. Sophomore Adelle Murphy (Roseau, Minn.) picked up the second assist on the goal.
Utica (5-3-2, 3-2-1 ECAC West) got a power play goal of its own at the 17:58 mark of the second when Victoria Pelton got a stick on the puck to redirect a shot from Samantha Husak to get the Pioneers to within one goal again. Morgan Reed picked up the second assist on the goal for Utica.
Neither side was able to score again. Norwich outshot Utica 30-16, including a 17-4 advantage in the second period. Goin made 28 saves to fall to 3-3-2 on the season.
Norwich will travel to No. 2 Elmira on Sunday for a huge showdown with the Soaring Eagles at 3 p.m. Elmira handed Norwich its only loss so far this season, 3-2 in both team's season opener on Nov. 1 in the East/West Hockey Classic.
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