Box Score NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Sophomore Sarah Schwenzfeier (Hingham, Mass.) scored with 2:10 left in the third period to lift the Norwich University women's ice hockey team to a 1-0 win over New England College in the NEHC Quarterfinals on Saturday night at Kreitzberg Arena.
Schwenzfeier won a faceoff ahead to herself and then skated into space as the NEC center lost her balance and fell to the ice. Schwenzfeier skated in alone and roofed the puck just under the cross bar to finally beat NEC goalie Lindsay Powers to score the game's only goal and lift the Cadets into the NEHC Semifinals.
Powers made 55 saves in a brilliant performance for New England College (8-17-1), giving the Pilgrims every chance to pull off the monumental upset over the top-seeded Cadets.
For nearly 58 full minutes, she did just that, thwarting shot attempt after shot attempt to frustrate the Cadets all night long. However, Schwenzfeier's heroics for her 10th goal of the year proved to the difference in the late stages of the game to keep NU's drive for its fifth straight NEHC Tournament title alive.
Junior goalie Celeste Robert (Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) stopped all nine shots she faced to pick up her eighth shutout of the season, tying the single-season record set by Kelly Fisk in 2012. Robert didn't see much action, but she was up to the task to make a few huge saves, including a breakaway by Alexis Severance midway through the third period and then a last second poke by Vicki Shaw in the final minute of the game.
Norwich (20-6-0, 16-1-0 NEHC) won its 11th straight game with the victory and improved to 16-1-1 all-time against New England College.
Norwich will host the NEHC Final Four next Friday and Saturday at Kreitzberg Arena for the sixth straight season. The Cadets will face the University of New England, while Castleton meets UMass Boston in the other semifinal. The Championship will take place on Saturday at Kreitzberg Arena as well.
