Box Score NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University women's ice hockey team continued its mastery of New England College on Saturday afternoon in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Quarterfinals with a 10-0 win over the Pilgrims at Kreitzberg Arena.
Norwich (22-1-3, 14-0-0 NEHC) got two goals and an assist from Adrieana Rossini (Malden, Mass.) and Jessica Piracini (Tewksbury, Mass.), while Robyn Foley (Goulds, Newfoundland and Labrador) had a goal and two assists to lead the Cadets' offense on the day.
Senior Nicole Goebel (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) and junior Carly Menges (Novelty, Ohio) each had three assists as well for Norwich as the Cadets improved to 20-1-1 all-time vs. New England College.
Norwich led 1-0 after the first period with Rossini scoring a pretty unassisted backhand goal for her 18th of the season at the 10:21 mark of the opening frame. Rossini capitalized on a misplayed puck by a NEC defender at the blue line and skated up the left side of the ice before crossing across the crease and lifting a shot into the right corner of the net.
Norwich opened the floodgates in the second period, scoring five times to sprint away and carry a 6-0 lead into the second intermission.
Freshman KC Herne (Akwesasne, N.Y.) opened the second period scoring at the 4:59 mark by gathering her own rebound and slipping the puck behind the NEC goalie off an assist from Goebel.
Rossini notched her second of the game and 19th of the season at the 9:46 mark tapping home a goal off a pretty setup from behind the net by Sarah Schwenzfeier (Hingham, Mass.). Alyssa Hulst (Scarborough, Maine) also picked up the secondary assist.
Samantha Benoit (Bow, N.H.) increased the lead to 4-0 at the 15:44 mark of the third period, blasting a slap shot off the inside of the post from the blue line off assists from Goebel and Herne.
Foley scored her fourth goal of the season just as time expired on a penalty on Kim Tiberi (Raleigh, N.C.) with a wrist shot from the point that beat NEC goalie Jackie Clark. Goebel and Kelley Madden (Novelty, Ohio) picked up assists on the goal.
Brynn Wopperer (Amherst, Mass.) capped the second period scoring with her seventh goal of the season off assists from Piracini and Menges. Wopperer scored on her backhand while falling to the ice after picking up a rebound from Menges' shot that bounced off Piracini on its way to the net.
Sophie McGovern (Hermantown, Minn.) scored her 13th goal of the season on the power play at the 3:24 mark of the third period off assists from Foley and Hulst.
Schwenzfeier scored at the 5:54 mark, while Piracini added two more at the 7:37 and 9:27 mark to close the scoring in the game.
Senior goalie Laurie King (Waddington, N.Y.) picked up her eighth shutout of the season and program record 22nd of her career, stopping all 10 shots she faced to improve to 17-1-3 on the season. King tied Kelly Fisk '14 and Celeste Robert '17 for the most shutouts in a single season with her eighth of the year. Fisk had eight in 2011-12, while Robert had eight in 2015-16.
Norwich will face the winner of Plymouth State and University of New England on Saturday, Feb. 24 in the NEHC Semifinals at Kreitzberg Arena.
