NORTHFIELD, Vt.- In their first action of the regular season, the Norwich Women's Ice Hockey team took to the Kreitzberg Arena ice looking to start their defense of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) crown against Endicott.

Off the opening puck drop, the Cadets held the early territorial advantage and took five out of the first six shots in the first three minutes, including a strong net drive by Livia Brooks (Walpole, Mass.) that was denied which was quickly followed by a chance by Olivia Boyer (Saint Paul, Minn.) which was shut down by Endicott netminder Casey Mortiz. The Gulls responded with a quick flurry of opportunities just passed the halfway mark of the opening frame. Not long after a Norwich offensive zone faceoff, the puck came to the center point for Neris Archambault (Pepperell, Mass.) who attempted a shot that got blocked, which sprung the Gulls in transition for a breakaway for Maggie Lynch that found the back of the net giving Endicott with just under five minutes to play in the first period, which would end with the Cadets carrying a penalty kill into the second.

Early in the middle frame, the Cadets earned their first powerplay of the season on a hooking call. While only one shot officially went on goal, there were several opportunities, most notably a shot from blueliner Lauren Tuzik (Frankfort, Ill.) that triggered the goal light, but was ruled that it hit the inner corner of the post. Norwich continued to hold the momentum after that powerplay but were largely kept to the outside of the offensive zone. Prior to the end of the period, Norwich would go back to the powerplay, which yielded two of Norwich's ten shots of the frame, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Looking to double their one goal lead, the Gulls had the upper hand coming out of the second intermission, but Leocadia Clark (Stowe, Vt.) shut the door. Clark would end the day making 20 saves. After the early press by Endicott, the new forward combinations of the Cadets started to get their footing with Brooks driving to the net looking for the tie, in addition to a golden opportunity by Taylor Girouard (Burlington, Mass.) on the doorstep that Mortiz shut down. The pressure yielded back-to-back Norwich powerplays that were killed off. Eventually, Clark would be lifted for the extra skater looking for the tie, but the Gulls never allowed the Cadet offense to set up before the final buzzer sounded, resulting in a 1-0 victory for the Gulls and a 26 save shutout for Moritz.

The Cadets will look to bounce back from their opening night loss when they host William Smith on Nov 3 at 6 PM to open NEHC competition.