Box Score
Video Highlights by Tanner Acebo, NU Sports Information
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Freshman forward Maki Shuchuk (Madison, Wis.) scored a hat trick to lead the Norwich University women's ice hockey team to a 6-0 shutout win over the Univ. of New England on Saturday afternoon in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East Quarterfinals at Kreitzberg Arena.
Shuchuk scored all three of her goals in the third period to help NU pull away from the Nor'Easters as part of a four-goal effort in the final stanza. Erin Joyce (Manchester, N.H.), Rachel Bellio (Denver, Colo.) and Adelle Murphy (Roseau, Minn.) each scored goals as well for the Cadets.
Norwich (19-4-3) advances to the ECAC East Championship Weekend for the seventh straight season and will host the other three semifinalists on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9.
The Cadets took advantage of a UNE miscue late in the first period to take a lead that it would never look back from as Bellio potted her seventh of the year on a breakaway at the 18:44 mark of the opening period. Bellio got in alone on the UNE goalie after a Nor'Easter defender stumbled at the blue line and fell down to the ice.
Bellio walked in from the right wing and sent a quick snapshot through UNE starting goalie Sydney Helmbrecht's five-hole to put the Cadets up 1-0.
Norwich added to its lead late in the second period with Joyce knocking home her 11th goal of the season on a power play to make it 2-0 NU with just 28 seconds left in the middle stanza.
Joyce pushed the puck in the backside doorstep of the crease after Helmbrecht made an initial save on Madyson Moore (Dubuque, Iowa) tipping the puck in the low slot. Junior defenseman Taylor Cross (Saugus, Mass.) picked up the secondary assist after taking the initial shot from the blue line.
Murphy started the Cadets' third period onslaught with her fourth goal of the season after she redirected a puck past Helmbrecht off an initial shot from Tiberi. Senior defenseman Liz Gemmiti (Toronto, Ontario) picked up the second assist after sending a "d to d" cross pass to Tiberi.
Just 39 seconds later Shuchuk stripped the puck away from a UNE defender behind the net and walked out, beating Helmbrecht with a wrist shot for her first of the day and ninth of the season to make it 4-0.
Shuchuk scored again nine seconds later when she tipped another Tiberi shot into the net off a second assist from Gemmiti. Shuchuk capped the scoring with a power play goal at the 11:37 mark off an assist from Kaycie Anderson (Maple Plain, Minn.). With the goal, Shuchuk tied Joyce for the team lead in goals on the season at 11.
Sophomore goalie Celeste Robert (Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) picked up the victory after making five saves in 46 minutes of action. She is 9-2-1 on the season now. Freshman goalie Laurie King (Waddington, N.Y.) stopped both shots she faced in relief to preserve the team shutout.
Norwich will face the lowest remaining seed from the other quarterfinal winners next Saturday at Kreitzberg Arena.
-CADETS-
