NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Riding a nine-game winning streak and outscoring opponents 33-10 so far in the postseason, the number one seed Norwich Cadets will host the number six seed Johnson & Wales Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Game. 

After dispatching the AMCATS of Anna Maria College in the quarterfinal round by a 16-2 final score, Norwich faced off with the number four seed Monks of Saint Joseph's College on Wednesday afternoon in the semifinal round. The Monks played the Cadets tough for most of the game, but the offensive firepower and defensive pressure of Norwich proved to be too much as the Cadets pulled away for a 17-8 victory. Cody Moore (Canton, N.Y.) led the way for Norwich with six goals on seven shots, while Ian Kennedy (Gloucester, Mass.) continued his excellent postseason play with two goals and four assists on the evening. Brandon Milburn (Bridgewater, N.J.) and the rest of the Norwich defensive unit was able to shut down the potent Saint Joseph's offense, as Milburn made 14 saves and the defense created 20 turnovers. 

The Wildcats have made an underdog run to the championship game, as the sixth-seeded squad has dispatched the number two and three seeds in the tournament on their way to Saturday's contest. JWU started their postseason run with a 14-8 handling of number three Mount Ida last Saturday before upsetting the number two seed and reigning GNAC Champion Lasell College Lasers on Wednesday by an 11-10 score in overtime. Eric Russo has continued his excellent regular season play into the postseason, tallying three goals and eight assists in the two upset victories.

SCOUTING REPORT - NORWICH

• Head Coach Neal Anderson leads the Cadets in his 10th season at the helm. A three-time GNAC Coach of the Year (2012, 2013, 2016), Anderson will look to lead Norwich to their second conference title after winning it all in 2013. 
• On the field, Josh Jenkins (Centennial, Colo.) leads the offensive attack. The senior has tallied 43 goals and 21 assists on the year for 64 points, all marks good for a top-5 spot in the conference statistical leaders. Jenkins became just the third Cadets player to tally 100 career goals this season on April 4 against Regis College, and currently has 122 goals in his career.
• Junior Cody Moore (Canton, N.Y.) has continued to elevate his play throughout the year and has 40 goals and 16 assists for 56 points on the year.
• The combination of Zach Adler (Stratham, N.H.) and Thomas Carlson (Hebron, Conn.) have led the Norwich defensive unit all year, as the team has caused 160 turnovers and allowed only 9.1 goals against on average this year.
• Senior Jack Dwyer (Shelburne, Vt.) has been dominant on faceoffs for the Cadets, going 233-363 for a 64.2% mark this year. 
• Time in goal has been split between Ian Kriger (Burlington, Mass.) and Brandon Milburn (Bridgewater, N.J.), as the two have combined for 203 saves and a 57.7% save percentage on the season.

SCOUTING REPORT - JOHNSON & WALES

• 2015 GNAC Coach of the Year Nick Coppola leads the Wildcats in his fifth season at the helm. Coppola started the program from scratch in 2014, and will now lead JWU into the program's first GNAC Championship Game.
• Johnson & Wales' offense begins and ends with midfielder Eric Russo who leads the GNAC with 81 points on the season via 40 goals and 41 assists. Russo dominated Norwich in the regular season matchup, with six goals and two assists. 
• Junior Ben Farrell provides an excellent second option for the Wildcats, providing 33 goals and 20 assists on the season. 
• Owen Macca leads the Wildcats in both caused turnovers (38) and groundballs (76) on the year.
• Stephen Gregg handles things in the faceoff circle for JWU, going 125-339 this year for a 36.8% mark. 
• The goalkeeping responsibilities belong to sophomore Bradley Morris, who has logged 1104:54 minutes in goal and recorded an 8-11 record. Morris has made 246 saves and posted a 53.4% save percentage. 

HEAD TO HEAD

• The Wildcats provided the only blemish on the Cadets' conference record this season, as they handed Norwich their only conference loss on March 31 at Sabine Field. JWU outscored Norwich 8-2 in the final quarter to come storming back and force overtime before Brad Ketz buried a goal midway through the first overtime period to give JWU the 14-13 victory. 
• JWU and Norwich have squared off six times over their histories, with Norwich holding a 4-2 advantage so far.
• The last playoff meeting between the two teams took place in 2015, with Norwich pulling off a 7-6 victory in the quarterfinal round.

DON'T MISS IT

• The two teams will face off on Sabine Field Wednesday afternoon, with the Cadets hosting the Wildcats for a 1:00 PM start time. A live broadcast and live stats will be available for those unable to attend.